CFA Chicago Annual Dinner Keynote: Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.
CFA Society Chicago celebrated a class of 140 new charterholders during the CFA Chicago 28th Annual Dinner held at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom. The festivities commenced at 5 p.m. with networking and drinks. Prior to the start of dinner, entertainment was provided by the City Lights Quartet.
CFA Chicago Chairman Christopher Vincent, CFA, opened the proceedings by welcoming the new CFA charterholders and thanking the dinner underwriters. There were 53 corporate sponsors (45 bronze, 2 silver, 8 gold, 4 platinum and two premier sponsors) for this event. The premier sponsors were Harris Associates and UBS Global Asset Management. Each new charterholder attended gratis, courtesy of CFA Chicago. The event greatly benefited from the organizing efforts of Doug Jackman, CFA and Stephen Moy, CFA who lead the Annual Dinner Advisory Group.
The winner of the 2014 Hortense Friedman, CFA, Award for Excellence was Ralph Wanger, CFA. This award honors a CFA Chicago Founder and prominent institutional investor. Ralph Wagner began his investing career with Harris Associates in Chicago in 1960. He is currently Head of Columbia Wagner Asset Management, L.P. and is an Advisor to the Acorn Fund. In his brief remarks, Wagner reflected on his long career and the people in Chicago he met along the way.
The evening continued with a keynote address by Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. Gov. Huntsman has led a life devoted to public service. He was twice voted Governor of Utah (2005-2009), and was U.S. Ambassador to China (2009-2011). In 2012 Huntsman ran as a candidate for the Republican Nomination for President.
In an era of increasing ideological paralysis in politics, Gov. Huntsman stressed that bipartisanship is the only way to move forward to solve the problems of the United States. He now serves as co-chair of No Labels, a citizen’s movement of Democrats, Republicans and others dedicated to promoting a new politics of problem solving. In his opinion, the major challenges facing the US can be summarized by the following four issues; 1) Entitlements 2) Budget Deficits 3) Energy Security and 4) Jobs Security.
He stressed the importance of the mid-term elections and the fact that 42% of voters are now calling themselves unaffiliated. He predicted that the Republicans would gain control the Senate; however this did not mean that the ideological paralysis would go away. Dissatisfaction with incumbents has skyrocketed because no viable solutions are being offered.
In the short Q&A following the event, Gov. Huntsman commented on the state of the Republican Party, and the role of China and the US in the global economy. He fears that the Republican Party has lost its connection to its Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan roots. His opinion is that in the global marketplace it is China who takes the long view, while the US is more focused on short-term results. His best example of a leader in the world today is Alan Mulalley former CEO of Ford, who led his company through trying economic times.
Following Gov. Huntsman’s keynote address and Q&A, there was more opportunity for networking. Drinks, coffee and cookies were provided to attendees who wished to stay after dinner.
View Photos from the 2014 CFA Chicago Annual Dinner
Thank you to our Premier, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze Sponsors.