Count Financial’s Michael Beer has been awarded this year’s BlackRock/PortfolioConstruction Forum Scholarship for the CIMA designation.
A panel of independent members from the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) have awarded Count Financial’s Michael Beer the BlackRock PortfolioConstruction Forum Scholarship for the Certified Investment Manager Analyst (CIMA) designation.
The $6000 scholarship grants Beer – Count’s research and platforms manager since 2008 – access to the CIMA program, which provides a foundation to theoretical and practical fundamentals underlying the investment consulting and fund researcher industries.
The program recognises the role of specialist investment education and professional development for retail fund researchers, analysts and portfolio managers working for multi-manager platforms and master trusts.
“Michael’s background and his current role in the retail-directed investment arena indicated that he would benefit from the CIMA program,” IMCA said.
“He also has the potential to be an active member of the IMCA community and to participate in its functions that address industry needs.”
Managing a team of three, Beer’s current responsibilities include monitoring and managing Count’s approved product list, managing platform relationships and supporting Count Financial’s adviser network. His work also extends to the Count Research Committee.
He has over 12 years’ industry experience, having worked as a compliance auditor at Count and as a financial planner and para-planner across a number of firms.
The CIMA program, which is run by academics and industry leaders, aims to speak to the unique demands and requirements of investment consultants and fund researchers but is also suitable for a range of industry professionals including fund executives, retail and institutional business development managers, private client advisers and product specialists.
The CIMA program is an intensive theoretical and practical post-graduate course, consisting of an independent study program (Level 1) and a residential program and accreditation exam (Level 2) that are completed consecutively.
“This year’s scholarship again attracted a broad range of applicants with diverse talents and levels of experience,” IMCA said.
CIMA is an internationally recognised program developed in the US and adapted to suit the Australian financial services industry.
The CIMA participants are required to have at least three years’ verifiable experience in the investment management sector in areas such as conducting manager research and due diligence, overseeing performance measurement, designing investment policies and guidelines, and structuring asset allocation strategies.
The program traverses investment policy, asset allocation, risk management, alternative investing, derivatives, international financial markets and a range of other key areas of interest for the investment consultant and research sectors.
Former CIMA students include REST Industry Super chief executive Damien Hill, Towers Watson head of investment consulting Graeme Miller, and last year’s recipients of the BlackRock PortfolioConstruction CIMA scholarship, BT Financial Group’s Charmaine Cheung and Alpha Fund Managers’ Matthew Zschech.
