History

2007

• AZEK launches AZEK Campus, the one-day seminars for financial professionals.
• SFAA introduces the new corporate design and goes live with a completely new website.

2006

• The SFAA Club kicks off: The first event is held in Zurich on 26 September 2006. The guest speaker is Dr Philipp Hildebrand, Member of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank.
• The articles of association are revised. With this revision SFAA intends to make a statement about equal rights and scraps all patriarchal and sexist language.
• After almost a year the Declaration launched in the previous year is brought to a positive conclusion. All members were called upon to confirm their commitment to ethical principles with their signatures. The result after the introductory phase of almost one year is that 15 members did not sign. They are expelled from the Association.
• Retirement of Prof Dr André Bender, Member of SFAA's Executive Committee, co-founder of AZEK and President of the Examination Commission. A farewell aperitif reception is held in his honour in Geneva.

© SFAA. Photographer: Adrian Wipf, www.topfotograf.ch

2005

The Certified International Wealth Manager CIWM diploma is awarded for the first time. The course was developed by SFAA's subsidiary, AZEK.

2004

• Marco Curti replaces Stephan Meier as President, taking his appointed term.
• The first contest for the BILANZ Analyst Trophy is held to find the most accurate analysts and research houses. The partner for the event is SFAA. The data for the assessments are provided by ISFA.
• The Handbook of Best Practice is revised.

2003

• SFAA, which has so far tended to keep away from the public eye, decides to play a more prominent role. In June the Association publishes the first issue of the SFAA News (in German, in French)
• Dr Jean-Claude Dufournet, already CEO of AZEK, also takes on the management of SFAA. He is SFAA's first Chief Executive Officer.

2002

• SFAA publishes the Handbook of Best Practice.
• On 2 May SFAA celebrates its 40th anniversary at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich.
• The Association changes its name from Swiss Society of Financial Analysts and Portfolio Managers (SVFV) and is now known as the Swiss Financial Analysts Association SFAA in all parts of the country.
• The Certified International Investment Analyst CIIA diploma is awarded for the first time.

2001

Stephan Meier replaces Serge Ledermann as President, taking his appointed term.

1999

The "Information der Aktionäre" brochure containing information for shareholders is published for the last time, after 32 years.

1998

• SFAA awards the federal diploma for experts in finance and investment for the first time.
• Serge Ledermann takes over as President from Thomas Lips.

1992

• 54 candidates are awarded the federal diploma for financial analysts and portfolio managers at the first organised graduation ceremony.
• Thomas Lips takes over as President from Bruno Walter.

1991

SFAA is recognised by the Swiss Government as the awarding body for the federal diploma for financial analysts and portfolio managers.

1990

AZEK - The Swiss Training Centre for Investment Professionals (formerly known as TCIP-AZEK-CFPI) is set up.

1989

Bruno Walter takes over as President from Heinrich Looser.

1988

SFAA is host to the European Congress of Financial Analysts in Geneva. More than 800 persons take part. The Congress makes a profit, allowing a training centre to be set up.

1987

The Association is now also open to portfolio managers and asset managers. At the same time the name is lengthened to Swiss Society of Financial Analysts and Portfolio Managers (SVFV).

1980

At around this time (the exact year is unknown) the Merkur Award is introduced as a mark of distinction for the most informative annual report from Swiss companies. The driving forces behind this are Thomas Braun and Kaspar Mueller.

1970

The first European Financial Analysts Congress is held in Geneva, hosted by SFAA.

1967

SFAA starts out by publishing the "Information der Aktionäre" briefing providing shareholders with first-rate analyses of published annual accounts.

1962

• The Swiss Society of Financial Analysts is founded in Geneva in May 1962. The ceremonious act takes place at exactly 14.15 hours in Geneva, officially recorded by notary Paul Tournier.
• Shortly afterwards, the European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies, EFFAS is formed. Switzerland is one of the five founder nations, together with Germany, the UK, France and the Netherlands.

1961

The Geneva banker, Jean-Claude Hentsch, finds out from a friend in the United States that a European organisation of analysts (later to be known as EFFAS) is to be formed in Courcheval, France, in 1962. He wanted to make sure that the Swiss were not left out and proceeded to set up a national organisation, in collaboration with Jacques Ittensohn.