Setting the standard for ethics in the world of finance

How CFA Institute™ empowers the people behind the numbers

CFA Institute is the largest association of investment professionals in the world, well known for its Chartered Financial Analyst credential. It’s also deeply involved in professional standards development, reporting, student mentoring and education. The organization plays an important role through its focus on shaping policies that strengthen investor confidence and market integrity.

Today, more than 120,000 financial professionals in 150 countries from Mongolia to Mauritius have passed the CFA Program rigorous exams, proudly adding the most respected and recognized investment distinction in the world to their names. That pride is justified. Being a CFA charterholder is a position of real responsibility, setting the standard for integrity in their profession.

Stakeholders for CFA Institute are, undeniably, a varied group: professionals seeking knowledge, students entering the world of finance, regulators, investors and corporations. CFA Institute needs to clearly communicate its principles, vision and thought leadership in a way that resonates with everyone.

Connections that matter

For a membership organization, getting the message out means being relevant to the needs of the audience. Like most professionals, regardless of sectors and geographies, CFA Institute stakeholders have come to expect to get their information online and, increasingly, through mobile devices. CFA Institute saw a real opportunity to raise its profile through digital communication.

Working with the team of brand specialists at Tenet Partners, CFA Institute successfully made the transition from a paper-based culture to one that more closely aligns with the needs of its members. The result: an online annual report and uniquely user-friendly way of presenting its financial statements. The team has been working together ever since, steadily raising the bar with dynamic, responsive-design reports that make the most of mobile devices.

CFA Institute now has the means to better engage with its stakeholders and deliver on its mission – highlight the importance of financial standards and ethics.

Putting a human face on finance

The world of finance is often thought of as impersonal – facts and figures, rules and regulations. The human side sometimes gets overlooked. As the CFA Institute 50th anniversary approached, Tenet saw an opportunity to make the landmark celebration something memorable and focus on what makes the organization truly special: the charterholders.

CFA Institute worked closely with our multi-disciplinary team of brand experts – strategists, designers, digital specialists, content developers – to tell a quintessentially human story. Making full use of the web as a great virtual meeting place, the soul of the organization came to life through 50 curated stories about individual CFA Institute members. More than just bios, these stories came to life in video, audio, letters and articles.

Using videos, recordings, personal letters and much more, this unique story-telling gave a glimpse of the person behind the professional: what motivates them, their life aspirations, their toil and successes and, most of all, the sense of integrity they bring to their work.

A demonstration of its worldwide presence, Tenet helped CFA Institute mark the milestone anniversary by becoming the only organization to date to have members and staff mark their respective stock exchange’s opening or closing literally around the world in one 24-hour period.

Strength and clarity through consistency

With regional offices in Hong Kong, Brazil, London and the U.S. to manage its Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific communications, it is critical for CFA Institute to ensure consistency in the expression of its global brand. The same clear message of integrity and excellence needs to carry through across languages and cultures.

The online brand center for CFA Institute uses Tenet’s proprietary content management system, Brand Ensemble™, to provide unprecedented flexibility in managing brand assets and communicating its guidelines around the world. CFA Institute is now equipped with the right tools to enable everyone, across the organization, to play their role in building the brand with the same discipline their members bring to their work.