CFA Society Greece hosted its first webinar of the season on "Important factors to consider when investing in private equity and how ESG affects these" with Steve Balaban, CFA, Private Equity Chief Investment Officer of Mink Capital. 

During the webinar, Steve spoke about the important factors to consider when investing in private equity and how ESG affects these.

Some topics covered also included:

• The decision of whether or not to invest in private equity in 2021
• The methods to invest in private equity
• How ESG affects private equity investments
• Secrets to finding and buying private companies
  

CFA Society hosted a second webinar with Franklin Templeton on "Digital Transformation: Winners and Losers” with Jonathan Curtis*, Senior Vice President, Research Analyst & Portfolio Manager of Franklin Equity Group at Franklin Templeton, on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

In this brief webinar, Jonathan Curtis discussed the multi-trillion dollar innovation opportunity seen in Digital Transformation (DT). Within DT’s there are 10 enabling sub-themes, and he discussed the types of businesses Franklin Templeton focuses on.  He also talked about how the Covid crisis brought the DT opportunity into sharp focus for investors, consumers, enterprises, and governments and their belief that we are at the beginning of this opportunity.  He also touched briefly on current market valuations.

*About the speaker: Jonathan Curtis is a senior vice president, research analyst and portfolio manager with Franklin Equity Group. He has been active in the tech sector for more than 28 years, first as an engineer and now as an investor. Currently he is the leader of the Technology/Communications Research Team and the lead manager of the Franklin Technology Fund. He joined the Franklin Equity Group in 2008 as an equity analyst covering the IT hardware and communications equipment sectors and now covers the enterprise infrastructure software and IT hardware sectors Prior to joining Franklin, Jonathan spent four years on the sell side researching the communications equipment sector. Before transitioning to the financial services industry, Jonathan was a software and systems engineer in the communications equipment sector. Jonathan holds an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY

​After nearly four months of research and analysis, the nine teams participating in the 2020-2021 Research Challenge competition, hosted in Athens, presented their recommendations on Kri Kri Milk Industry share to our panel of judges on 27 February, 2021. The University of Macedonia won the local competition and moves on to compete in the EMEA sub-regional competition.

For more information, please click here.

​The 13th Annual Forecast Dinner took place virtually on Tuesday, 23 February, 2021 with guest speakers Guillaume Jaisson, Strategist, Global Investment Research Division at Goldman Sachs and Ilias Lekkos, Chief Economist and Assistant General Manager at Piraeus Bank Group. More than 100 participants from the local and international investment communities joined the online event.

Click here for the press release.

What does it take for someone to put their capital at risk and entrust their funds to someone else to manage? The concept of trust lies at the heart of this question and is the essential foundation of healthy capital markets.

On December 8, 2020, CFA Society Greece & CFA Society Cyprus hosted an online panel discussion on "Earning Investors' Trust". The event attracted more than 70 members of of the Greek, Cypriot and UK investment communities. 

Informed by the fourth edition of the CFA Institute Investor Trust Study, the moderated panel discussion touched on the following topics:

• How information, innovation and technology can help build trust.
• The CFA Institute Trust Equation (Credibility + Professionalism  = Trust & Value) and the role of regulators.
• The path forward to building greater trust in capital markets and the investment industry.
• Interest for ESG Investing in Greece and Cyprus.
• New sustainability report from CFA Institute.

See below for panellist and moderator information.

	​​Panellists	​	​Moderator
​	​	​	​
Gary Baker, CFA Managing Director, EMEA Region CFA Institute​	​Nikolaos Kontaroudis Vice Chairman Hellenic Capital Market Commission	​George Theocharides, PhD Vice Chairman Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission	​Violeta Spyropoulou, CFA VP, CFA Society Greece Assistant Manager, Alpha Asset Management

Οn November 10, 2020 CFA Society Greece hosted a webinar, "Investing in Innovation", presented by Matt Moberg*, SVP & Portfolio Manager of Franklin Equity Group at Franklin Templeton.  During this brief webinar, Matt led a discussion on driving wealth creation through innovation investing, the importance of active management in innovation-focused investing, and where he see opportunities in innovation today.  The webinar drew great interest from our attendees who actively participated in the Q&A session.

*About the Speaker: Matthew J. Moberg is a senior vice president and portfolio manager with the Franklin Equity Group. Mr. Moberg manages strategies focused on investing in innovation, including Franklin DynaTech Fund, Franklin Innovation Fund, and a series of thematic ETFs. He also manages the Franklin Focused Growth strategy, which takes a concentrated approach to investing in growth and innovation-driven equities. Mr. Moberg first joined Franklin Templeton in 1998 as an intern with Franklin Advisers. He joined Franklin Templeton full-time as an equity analyst in 1999 and specialized in research analysis of Internet, media, software and gaming. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, he worked at Coopers & Lybrand as an auditor and consultant. During his tenure at C&L, he specialized in the banking and finance industries. Mr. Moberg earned his B.A. in history from Washington & Lee University and an M.B.A. with distinction from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Mr. Moberg also studied accounting at the University of Southern California. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) INACTIVE. 

​CFA Society Greece hosted its first open event for the general public on 26 October, 2020, a webinar on "Factors Influencing Private Investors' Investment Profile", with guest speaker, Eleutheria Achladianaki, Managing Director of The Association of Members of the Athens Exchanges. The purpose of the webinar was to further enhance the investment literacy of the general public, thus contributing to the integrity of the capital markets and putting private investors in a position to ensure they are adequately protected when investing. The webinar focused on basic investment principles and the information that individual investors should receive before purchasing investment products. 

More than 70 private investors working in the health, tourism, insurance and other industries joined the webinar. Over 20 students from local universities also attended the event.

• Prospects for global equities and the corporate earnings cycle, as well as a potential rotation out of the U.S. into other markets.
• How to protect portfolios against equity risk given the absence of return potential in government bonds or cash.
• The case for gold in light of the monetary and fiscal backdrop.
• Risks for capital markets associated with the upcoming U.S. election.

*About the Speaker: Peter Perkins is a founding partner of MRB Partners - The Macro Research Board (www.mrbpartners.com). He has extensive experience, both as a strategist and economist. Mr. Perkins focuses on asset allocation issues and strategy, key drivers of the global economy and capital markets, as well as investment opportunities and risks. He works closely with MRB clients on tactical and strategic asset allocation, assisting them in interpreting and translating macroeconomic and policy factors into a tailored investment strategy. Mr. Perkins speaks widely at conferences, seminars and client meetings and regularly participates in investment committee meetings for select investment management firms. Over his career, Mr. Perkins has covered all major asset classes and regions, and worked in the U.S., Hong Kong, Mexico, and Canada, before recently relocating to the U.K. Prior to forming MRB, he was Managing Editor at BCA Research Inc., focusing on tactical asset allocation and supporting major clients. Mr. Perkins has a Master of Economics from Pennsylvania State University and B.A in Economics from the University of Maryland.

​CFA Society Greece proudly supported the free Economist Virtual Event, "New York -EastMed Summit: A Sea of Conflict or a Sea of Opportunities?" on September 29, 2020. 

On Tuesday, 15 September, 2020 at 19:00 hosted our first webinar of the new season on "Python: Revolutionizing the Finance Industry" with Nick Christodoulopoulos*, Head of Derivatives Market Making at Piraeus Securities. 

Over the past decades, spreadsheets have been the primary tool in Finance. However, Python, the incredibly popular and easy-to-learn programming language, is challenging the status quo and is becoming the most in-demand skill in the industry.

During the webinar, Nick Christodoulopoulos explained why Python is a game changer for Finance professionals. He outlined the benefits of learning Python, discussed why it is much more than an "Excel on steroids" and demonstrated practical examples of its use.

*About the Speaker: Nick Christodoulopoulos is the Head of Derivatives Market Making at Piraeus Securities, the brokerage arm of Piraeus Bank. He has 20 years of experience in the financial markets, the majority of which in roles involving derivatives and proprietary trading. He has extensive experience in programming, financial modelling and data analysis. Nick also teaches courses on Data Analysis with Python and Equity Derivatives at the Athens Exchange Academy. He holds an MSc in International Securities, Investment & Banking from ICMA Centre, University of Reading, UK and a BA in Accounting & Finance from University of Essex, UK.

• The Discipline of Financial Modeling
• Top 10 Modeling Best Practices
• Key Modeling Tips
• Skills to check a Financial Model
• Great Modeling Technical Skills

During this brief webinar, Alberto Gallo discussed some of the changes that have been triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on macro factors and the global credit markets, including the role that public debt will play in shaping the post Covid world. A Q&A sessopm followed, with questions submitted by the audience via Zoom's chat feature.  Ahead of the webinar, Alberto was kind enough to share recent investor newsletters published by Mr. Gallo and his colleagues.  

2020-04 - The Pandemic Revolution.pdf

2020-06 - Creative Destruction.pdf

*About the Speaker: Alberto Gallo is a fund manager at Algebris Investments, the $12bn asset management firm. He runs a macro fund investing in global bonds and credit. Prior to becoming an investor, Mr. Gallo has covered a number of research positions at Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs and RBS, where he was Head of Global Macro Credit Research and his team was top-ranked for credit strategy research by Institutional Investor for four years running. He is a member of external expert working groups at the ECB and ESMA, and a frequent contributor on the Financial Times and the World Economic Forum, as well as a regular guest on Bloomberg. Mr. Gallo holds a MSc in Economics cum laude from Bocconi University, where he is a guest lecturer in macroeconomics, and is a CFA charterholder. Prior to that, he served in the navy at the "F. Morosini" naval college.

​CFA Society Greece, under the auspices of the Hellenic Fund and Asset Management Association, organized a seminar on "Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS)" on Tuesday May 7^th, 2019, for the first time in Greece, by Mr. Iain McAra, Director of Investment Performance Standards for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region at CFA Institute.

CFA Society Greece is happy to announce that the winner of the local "CFA Institute Research Challenge 2018-2019" is the team from the University of Piraeus. Our warmest congratulations and best wishes to the winning team which will represent Greece at the EMEA region final in Zurich on April 10-11 2019.

Media Coverage: euro2day.gr   newmoney.gr   in.gr   tovima.gr  insider.gr   mononews.gr   emea.gr   businessnews.gr   sofokleous10.gr   ipaideia.gr

​The trends of international stock indices for 2019, the reduction of non-performing loans in the Greek banking system and the investment environment in Greece were some of the topics discussed at the 11th Annual Forecast Dinner organized by CFA Society Greece. The dinner under the label "2019: Another year of uncertainty for financial markets" was held on 20 of February 2019, at Athens Hilton Hotel. For more information please see our Press Release.

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​CFA Society Greece proudly awarded the CFA Charter to 37 new CFA Charterholders at its annual ceremony. Congratulations to all our new Charterholders and a warm welcome to our finance community. For more information about the ceremony, please see our Press Release.

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CFA Society Greece is pleased to organize for the 9th consecutive year the local part of the global competition CFA Institute Research Challenge. The goal of the student teams participating into the contest is to analyze a listed company, in the same way as it is being approached by professional analysts. The Greek teams participating in this year's competition will be invited to analyze the OTE Group. On November 13, 2018, the kick-off of the competition took place at OTE's premises in Paiania, Attica, with the participation of teams from 8 Universities. The Greek final will be held on 2 March 2019 and the winner team will take part in the European competition, to be held in Zurich on 10-11 April 2019. For more information, see the Press Release.

Media Coverage: euro2d​ay.gr   liberal.gr   bankingnews.gr   reporter.gr   sepe.gr   koutipandoras.gr   fmvoice.gr   techpress.gr

​On November 8 and 9, the CFA Society Greece, in collaboration with AnalystSolutions, organized a 2-day Workshop on "Equity Research and Analysis" with the distinguished analyst James J. Valentine, CFA. Some topics that have been covered in the workshop include:

• Identify and monitor a stock's critical factors
• Apply practical Valuation Techniques for more accurate price targets
• Master the Stock Call Techniques of highly experienced Analysts

• Communicate unique Stock Calls successfully so others take action

Short Bio of James J. Valentine,CFA                                                     

Interview with James J. Valentine,CFA

​On Thursday, October 11, 2018, the CFA Society Greece, in cooperation with the Athens Stock Exchange Group, organized an event on "Corporate Governance: Developments in Greece and in the European Union and the Role of Investors". The keynote speakers were Ms. Josina Kamerling, Head of Regulatory Outreach of CFA Institute, Richard Schreuder, Member of Corporate Disclosure Policy Committee of CFA Institute, Haroula Apalagaki, Secretary General of the Hellenic Bank Association. Mr. Socrates Lazaridis, CEO of the Athens Stock Exchange, and Mr. Loukas Dedes, CFA, President of the CFA Society Greece, welcomed the meeting.

Press Coverage: euro2d​ay.gr 

Richard Shreuder, CFA  (Presenattion slides) and Josina Kamerling (Presentation slides)

​In the context of the 83rd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), an informative conference / talk was held about the Roots program, attended by the Vice President of the CFA Society Greece. The CFA Society Greece will provide educational material and know-how from its members in Greece and abroad to the Roots program, in cooperation with the Athens Exchange Group (ATHEXGroup).

Press Coverage: euro2day.gr    tanea.gr

​A great joint event with the newly established Institute οf Finance and Financial Regulation (IFFR). Northwestern Kellogg's Professor Dr Dimitris Papanikolaou delivered a presentation on "Τhe Εcοnοmίcs οf Valυe" and the optimal hedge against technological displacement.

Press Coverage: euro2day.gr  

​CFA Society Greece co-hosted with MBA AUEB an event on “Blockchain - Fintech”. Five distinguished speakers joined us and presented on the “Blockchain technology” (Haris Linardakis, IBM Cloud Leader, Greece & Cyprus), the “API Economy” (Nikolaos Karatzas, IBM), “Banking strategies in Fintech and the NBG approach” (Konstantinos Kalogerakis, Be Finnovative Programme Lead, Digital Channels Division, National Bank of Greece), “Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: New challenges” (Vassiliki Lazarakou, Attorney at Law, J.S.D., ex Vice President of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission) and “Fintech and the Capital Markets: Fintech literacy, Fintech adoption / technologies - benefits and areas of attention” / “ICOs and Virtual Assets: Cross-border content / dimensions and topics being studied within the EU” (Marie Markosian, Hellenic Capital Market Commission, Supervisor and National Expert at ESMA, EIOPA, European Commission and Council of the European Union Committees/Task Forces/ Working parties). 

Press Coverage: euro2day.gr