The Opening Speech from the CCFA President

Good evening! I am Daju Gu, the president of CCFA, I would like to welcome you all to our Annual Gala!  Sharing this celebration evening with all ofyou is a true honor. Looking around, I am filled with joy of friendship, oldand new.

Distinguished guests, ladies andgentlemen!

For almost two decades, CCFA has beena key platform strived to deepen the understanding of and ties between Canadaand China. We have made notable contributions to our bilateralrelationships.  The good work continues, and this year:

·  CCFA successfully launched its Distinguished SpeakerSeries – a forum that encourages experts from both countries to engage directdialogues on topics of significance. Thanks to our sponsors E & Y and ZRDigitech for theirgreat support!

·  CCFA successfully delivered a training program inShanghai to the Chinese pension fund administers nation-wide, sharing the Canadianbest practices in the pension fund administration. The well-received trainingrepresents a good example of bilateral exchange. Thanks to Ti, Dawn and Davidfor your support and participation!

·  Promoting professional development has always been anintegral part of CCFA’s mandate. And this year, our newly established RiskManagement Group, under the leadership of Yicent, has conducted numerousseminars of risk and regulatory significance. The group membership has grownquickly to a few hundred. Keep up the good work, Yicent！

· Over the years, CCFA has collaborated closely withmany our partners and sponsors, and this year, we established 10 Annual Awardsto recognize the achievements and successes in the industry.

Ladies and gentlemen, we would notbe able to do the work without the great support of our sponsors. I would liketo take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all our sponsors,some I have personally benefited from excellent services they provide: Mr.Shenling Xian, CEO of Shenling Financial; Jim Sheridan, Director of RBC WealthManagement. I would also like to specificallythank James Beattie, a veteran in Capital Market and CEO of our title sponsor: Toronto Futures Options Swap Exchange, thank you James! 

Last but not the least, our Marketingand Partnership team, under the leadership of Luyang Yan, Emily Gu and Wei Hong,has been instrumental in delivering many CCFA programs including the annualgala.  The volunteers worked countlesshours to put the event together: Betty Nan, Zoffy Li, Jeff Huang, thereare too many to mention here but their efforts are equally appreciated. Pleasejoin me to provide a round of applause for all the volunteers!

This year ends with plenty of chatteron interest rate trends, re-election and trade wars. We are certainly living inthe most interesting era of our time. I am anxiously waiting to hear from BrianMadden, our keynote speaker and an investment expert, on his view on what 2020 willbring. 

I wish you all an enjoyable eveningand a great holiday season!

Thank you very much!