The CIMA Society is to forge a closer association with Graham Rich’s Portfolio Construction Forum as the provider of educational services and is also looking at the possibility to expand into New Zealand and Asia, according to Pauline Vamos, the investment educational body’s chair.

She advised the Society’s members, who number about 300, in March of a restructure following the departure of Rob Goodlad, who was the part-time chief executive. Goodlad, a former chief executive of State Street Global Advisors in Australia, resigned from his CIMA role late last year.

Vamos, a former chief executive of ASFA and the now Pendal Group-owned Regnan, has become a professional non-executive director, including on the board of the Mercer Superannuation Trust and chair of the Freedom Insurance Group.

She said last week that in examining the role of the CIMA Society and of the body’s certification the board was looking to collaborate more with other educational bodies to expand the uptake of the CIMA designation. “We see that there’s possibly a niche for us to grow in the family office space and also among SMSF trustees,” she said.

“We need to grow faster. I would like to see us leverage our capabilities into Asia. Until now it has been mainly a US and Australian organisation.” CIMA currently has a student from New Zealand and Vamos said it would be “fantastic” if CIMA could run a course over there, as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore.

New Zealand-born Rich started his investment publishing and research career in that country before expanding in and then moving to Australia. The Portfolio Construction Forum, which also collaborates with Macquarie University, providing educational services to the finance department, would continue to be the “engine” for CIMA’s courses, as well as providing further member services and running the continuous education program, Vamos said.

“The arrangement gives us access to more resources which we can leverage,” she said.

– G.B.