CFA Institute Appoints William Tohmé, CFA, as Regional Head of Middle East and North Africa

London/Abu Dhabi, 24 July 2018 – CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, announces the appointment of William Tohmé, CFA, as Regional Head of Middle East and North Africa (MENA). William is based in the new CFA Institute office in Abu Dhabi. The role is the first of its kind for CFA Institute in EMEA and signals the strong growth of the organisation, and interest in the CFA program, in the region.

In his role, William will advocate for the highest standards of practice and ethics in the investment management industry, through the promotion of financial market integrity and transparency among regional policy makers and regulators. William will serve as the voice of CFA Institute across MENA and will lead the development and execution of the Middle East strategy.

William will also build industry relationships, extend employer outreach, and enhance the network of educational institutions with whom CFA Institute works. Additionally, he will partner with local MENA society leaders to help build membership in the region and further the professionalisation of the investment management industry.

Gary Baker, CFA, managing director of CFA Institute Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented:

“We are excited that William has joined CFA Institute to lead our strategic expansion in the Middle East and North Africa from our new base in Abu Dhabi. William brings a wealth of experience in building a presence in new markets, deep local knowledge and acumen, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit which will be instrumental in furthering one of the central tenets of our mission: to build a world class investment profession in this flourishing region.”

Prior to joining CFA Institute, William Tohmé was Director, Institutional Business Development at Lazard, where he developed the sovereign institutional client business in the Middle East, covering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain. Prior to this role, he was Director, Middle Eastern Institutions at Alliance Bernstein Middle East. 

William Tohmé graduated with a Masters, Advanced Studies (D.E.A.) in Finance, Monetary Sciences and Banking from the Université Paris II and earned his CFA charter in 2009. William is currently Vice President of CFA Society Emirates. William is fluent in English and a native speaker of French and Arabic.

On 29 April 2018, CFA Institute opened its new office in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The new office reinforces the commitment which CFA Institute is making to its growing number of members and candidates in MENA. The collaboration between CFA Institute and ADGM underscores the mutual commitment of both organisations to contribute to a growing international centre of excellence for knowledge in the Middle East and beyond. The new office joins London and Brussels as the third CFA Institute office serving Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The MENA region includes key markets for CFA Institute, with over 5,200 members and charterholders and eight societies. A total of 5,748 candidates from 18 MENA countries registered for the June 2018CFA® Program exams, which took place on Saturday 23 June 2018. This represents an increase of 29% on 2017 numbers, with the highest numbers of candidates in the United Arab Emirates (1,945), and Saudi Arabia (1,019). The eight CFA societies currently established in MENA are: CFA Society Emirates, CFA Society Saudi Arabia, CFA Society Kuwait, CFA Society Bahrain, CFA Society Doha, CFA Society Egypt, CFA Society Lebanon, CFA Society Jordan.