OCTOBER 5, 2010 | by IE Staff | Investment Executive

Courses led by industry experts now available to back office, operations and IT specialists

Smarten Up Institute, an education center for back office, operations and financial IT professionals, has announced its introductory course schedule.

Instruction will be available in trade processing, clearing and settlement, FX processing, mutual fund governance, custody, project management, global securities services, communications and technology. Classes will be held in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, with one course starting later this month.

The introductory courses include:

• The Art of Communication for the Financial Professional, led by Marc Gage, producer, director and national news reporter for CBC and CTV;

• Global Securities: Trading and Settlements, led by Stan Deudney, former president of the Canadian Depository for Securities, and current president and CEO of Transatron Systems Inc.

• Brokerage Operations, led by Andrée Ouellet, former examiner at the Montreal Stock exchange and current senior vice president for corporate infrastructure management at Penson Canada.

“The financial industry has had a real need for a comprehensive center of learning and teaching excellence,” says Laurie Clark, president and CEO of Smarten Up Institute.

“I envision SUI to be a place where collaborative, flexible and well-rounded leaders emerge with an understanding of the global markets and a deep knowledge of the back office, operations and IT processes that fuel them. They will have the ability to excel in their current role or to achieve the position they aspire to and be well-equipped to navigate the evolution and upheavals of the financial industry.”

In addition to its course offerings, the institute offers mentorship programs where students can work alongside the best professionals in the business and gain in-depth knowledge of how international markets function and interrelate.

SUI will also offer Smart Talk; a live online interactive webinar series that provides an opportunity to chat live with leaders and newsmakers about provocative topics. The institute’s roster of webinar instructors will include such industry luminaries as: Versus Associates Strategic Consultant, Doug Steiner; Smarten Up Institute president and CEO, Laurie Clark; and Investment Industry Association of Canada president and CEO, Ian Russell.

For complete course information, visit the Smarten Up Institute website.

IE