The strong influence of Asia within the ACIIA was clearly evident at the November ACIIA Council meeting in Beijing, where 23 delegates from 14 countries assembled to further develop the global financial analysis profession. In leading the meetings, Kiyoto Hagiwara, President and CEO of SAAJ Japan and the new Chairman of ACIIA, showed his determination to lead the international organisation into a solid position for the future and his strong vision for the CIIA. The council approved new procedures for the fine-tuning of the examination operations, especially in regard to the examination setting and marking process.

In particular, the last year has seen the number of examination questions submitted from around the world significantly increase, thus a new question screening and selection process will come into effect in 2005

The warm welcome from the hosts, the Securities Association of China (SAC), made the long journey to historic Beijing an unforgettable experience and the ACIIA executive and the SAC held productive discussions on future of the CIIA in China. The SAC have recently applied for accreditation of its national examination program by the ACIIA, and are overseeing the development of the CIIA program in China. The meetings also lent an occasion for the ACIIA executive and SAC to meet with the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission to exchange views on the place of qualifications within the regulatory framework. Prospectively, the inception of the CIIA final level examinations in China will take place in September 2005.

Jean-François Balmary, Secretary General of the ACIIA member society in France, SFAF, was unanimously elected as the new ACIIA Deputy Chairman on October 9th 2004. He succeeds Kiyoto Hagiwara, who became the ACIIA Chairman in June 2004.

Since obtaining a law Master's degree in 1972, Mr Balmary has been engaged by several banks including: Credit Industriel et Commercial, L'Européenne de Banque (formerly known as Banque Rothschild), and Banque Vernes; where he was the Manager for Asia, Communications Director, and manager of the Portfolio Management Department respectively. He then became manager of the International Development Department of AFPRA. (Association Française pour la Formation Professionnelle des Adultes). Currently, in addition to his position at SFAF, Mr Balmary is Chairman of the ACIIA's Promotions and Marketing Committee.

Jean-François Balmary is 55 years old, married with 4 children and lives in Paris.

Jean-François Balmary