PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE sacha imbert, president - Society

CHARTERHOLDER PROFILE
brian cook, ca, cfa
Brian has over 20 years of experience in the finance
industry and is currently VP Finance at Brookfield
Renewable Energy Group, and has been with
Brookfield in this and other capacities for four years.
Prior to this, he worked at MD Management in
various finance and investment positions. Brian is
also a former CFA Ottawa Society President.
WE ASKED MR. COOK ABOUT HIS CAREER AS
A CFA CHARTERHOLDER
after completing the ca designation, what attracted you to
a career in finance and why did you decide to pursue the cfa
designation?
Obtaining a CA designation and holding a CFA charter was not part of a
grand plan. I initially completed a B.Comm in Hotel Management from
the University of Guelph and worked for several years in the hotel business
in Bermuda, where I was born and raised. I wanted to do something else
after the Commerce degree, and met with people at Coopers and Lybrand
(now PriceWaterhouseCoopers) and it was from these meetings that I
began working on my CA designation. I did not have many of the required
accounting and tax courses so I also spent several months in ‘the grind’ of
summer school in Dalhousie University to obtain all the required courses.
During my articling years at Coopers and Lybrand I worked on several
company audits in the hotel, insurance, and investment industries.
It was during this time that I worked on an audit of a Bermuda based investment
management company that managed several retail mutual funds,
and venture capital pools with investments in the United States and Asia,
and clients who were based in Bermuda and Germany. This was my first
real exposure to the investment industry and with an element of ‘global
investing’. The principal owner was a great guy and a seasoned investor in
stocks. He followed a value style of investing, held a contrarian view, with a
long term horizon, all of which I found really interesting. During each year
of that audit, I learned and appreciated more about the investment business.
After I left Coopers and Lybrand I took a job as Controller of a hotel on
the island. While I enjoyed the work, I got a call one day from the principal
owner of that same investment company. He was looking for a Controller/
Treasurer and that was it, I began to work in the investment industry.
I completed the CFA Level 1 examination in Bermuda, and completed
Levels 2 and 3 here, after my move to Ottawa. I like the portable nature
of the CFA designation and the fact that it is globally recognized.
what has holding a cfa charter meant for your career as an
investment professional?
From a management perspective, the CFA Charter has broadened my skill
set and provided me with more tools in the tool kit. I like having both an
investment lens and an accounting lens that I can use and apply to different
opportunities and situations in the workplace.
Working through the requirements for a CFA charter has given me a sound
knowledge of the different types of investments, the importance of a well
balanced portfolio construct, and how to more effectively understand and
communicate the risks and returns. I think the CFA Institute does a fine
job with respect to ongoing professional development and seminars – and
this is great material to have access to as needed.
This investment knowledge is beneficial both in the work place and for volunteer
work. I find it rewarding to be able to provide investment input and
direction as part of an Investment Committee of a national foundation.
Continued on next page