Pune (Voice news service):- CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, recently hosted its first All‑India University Roundtable at their office in Mumbai, bringing together academic leaders from universities across the country to foster dialogue on the future of finance education and strengthen alignment with the evolving needs of the global investment profession.
The roundtable theme was “Insights Shaping the CFA® Curriculum and the Skills Development Initiative,” highlighting the growing importance of skills‑based learning, evolving curriculum design, and closer collaboration between academia and industry. The session led by senior CFA Institute delegates – Whitney Coggeshal, Director of Product Management and Anne Falhgreen, Senior Head – CFA® Program served as a platform for meaningful exchange on how finance education can better equip students for a rapidly changing professional landscape.
Discussions revolved around CFA Institute’s skills-based learning initiative, a transformational approach aimed at offering learning and assessments that reflect real‑world tasks and employer expectations. The initiative is designed to respond to the increasing demand for job‑ready talent, improve learning outcomes, and ensure ongoing relevance to the investment industry.
Participants explored the shift toward skills‑first hiring and continuous upskilling, with insights highlighting that employers are placing greater emphasis on demonstrable, practical competencies and real‑world application over purely theoretical knowledge. The dialogue also addressed emerging trends such as micro‑credentialing, applied learning models, and the growing integration of technology and AI in finance careers.
The session further highlighted how the CFA Program continues to evolve to balance innovation with credential integrity, incorporating practical skills modules, applied assessments, and flexible learning formats while maintaining globally consistent standards and rigor.
Speaking on the significance of the roundtable, Saim Fakih, Manager, University Relations – India, CFA Institute, said, “This marked our very first All‑India University Roundtable, reflecting our commitment to building stronger national engagement with academia and aligning finance education more closely with industry needs. By advancing skills‑based learning within globally recognised programs like the CFA Program, we aim to help students develop practical capabilities, ethical judgement, and the adaptability required for careers in modern finance.”
Dr. Nilesh Arora, Executive Director – Management, Chandigarh University commented, “Hearing directly from CFA Program’s curriculum architects reaffirmed what we owe our students – not just theory, but the skills that markets actually demand. As a professor, I often wonder if what we teach truly prepares students for the real world and this roundtable gave me both the answers and the tools to do better.”
“The presentations on industry expectations that shape the CFA curriculum were truly interesting and very informative. As the finance world needs highly skilled finance professionals, I feel that the innovative course curriculum of the CFA institute will prepare the students to face the real-life challenges and emerge successful” added P. K. Mohanty, Professor and Dean, School of Commerce, XIM University.
The roundtable brought together faculty members from leading institutions across India, including DY Patil University; Institute of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University; Christ University; JAIN (Deemed‑to‑be University); Manipal Academy of Higher Education; Woxsen University; IMI Delhi; IIT Bhubaneswar; IIT Kharagpur; Chandigarh University; Assam Downtown University; Jindal School of Banking & Finance (O.P. Jindal Global University); Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management; XIM University; Shiv Nadar University; Bennett University; and St. Joseph’s College of Commerce, among others.
Participating faculty included Mehul Barai, Anindita Chakraborty, Shivi Khanna, Nandan R., Mathew Verghese, Yogesh Pai P., Deepak Singh, Monika Chopra, Dr. Naresh Chandra Sahu, Abhijeet Chandra, Anureet Kaur, Dr. Nilesh Arora, Monjit Bora, Dr. Shivangi Gupta, Pankaj (LBSIM), P. K. Mohanty, Debarati Basu, Kapil Kapoor, Krishnendu Ghosh, Kushal, along with faculty from Atlas SkillTech University, K. J. Somaiya College, P. D. Hinduja College, Podar institutions, Jai Hind College, and KES institutions, among others.
The session concluded with an interactive exchange on opportunities for deeper collaboration between academia and CFA Institute, including curriculum alignment, faculty engagement, and initiatives focused on enhancing student employability and career readiness.
Through initiatives such as the All‑India University Roundtable, CFA Institute continues to deepen engagement with universities across India, supporting the development of globally relevant, ethical, and future‑ready finance professionals.
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