ACFA Society Pakistan Annual Excellence Awards have become a tradition in Financial Markets and Banking Industry. Very few Awards would claim the technical strength and confidence of practitioners and experts that these Awards do. For any awards, the most important part is independence, integrity and technical soundness of the process. We are proud that our Judges, Volunteers and Voters in the process of deciding on the winners are among the leading Industry Professionals. Conflict of Interest and ethics remain the strong pillar of our awards process. Banking, Investment Banking and Gender Diversity Awards are Critics' awards where experienced professionals of sound technical background serve as part of our esteemed panel of Judges. Brokerage, Analyst and Trader Awards are public choice awards based on survey of more than 65 investment institutions managing more than Rs. 700 bn in Investment Assets. An interesting award that tests the market knowledge of participants present at the ceremony includes an Investment Questionnaire where projections for best asset returns, interest rates, inflation, exchange rate are asked and the winner is selected from the individual who makes most correct predictions. A tradition of recognizing Best Performers helps setting Best Practices and encourages higher professionalism, an objective CFA Society Pakistan is committed to. I am grateful to all the Volunteers, Judges and Awards nominees who made this effort successful. We are thankful to our Chief Guest, Dr. Reza Baqir, who in his elegant style, not only delivered a remarkable speech, but was also patient and kind enough to respond to some of our tough but relevant questions on the economic conditions and outlook. Participation from audience including some Senior Industry Professionals was very encouraging and signifies recognition of CFA Society Pakistan as a thought leader in Finance Industry.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019