by John Russell, Franklin Templeton & STA Chairman
Every year the STA puts a meaningful amount of thought into the title of its annual market structure conference. This year was no different and we’re pleased to announce that we have chosen the title Game Changers and Culture Creators.
We chose this title because we felt it captured the reality our nation is facing with the election of a new President, while also making reference to an STA core value, the individual. This November, our country will elect a new leader. An individual who no matter what side of the aisle you stand on will be a game changer and culture creator. This individual will lead us through economic highs and lows, as well as a complicated geopolitical landscape. Our industry will undoubtedly feel the impact from the result of this democratic process and will need to adapt and change in order to continue to strive. New game changers and culture creators will undoubtedly emerge and place their mark on our markets.
We chose this title because we felt it captured the reality our nation is facing with the election of a new President, while also making reference to an STA core value, the individual.
This year’s program will feature updates on some of the issues addressed at last year’s conference like the SEC’s Equity Market Structure Advisory Committee Panel that will have all four (4) subcommittee chairs. New topics like the impact that Millennials are having on market structure and formats, like the Market Structure Debate, which will pit one side against another with ASSIGNED hot topics, are some of the changes you will see to this year’s program. In addition, we have added an STA Women in Finance Symposium that will teach effective communication skills for use in negotiations and career development. Details on this inaugural event will be released in the coming month, and we are confident that it will be game changer for STA’s annual conference this year and for years to come.
While we are proud of the success we have achieved with this event, we remain humble and thankful to all who take time away from their personal lives to attend. We hope that you’ll be able to join the over 700 hundred financial services professionals we expect this year. Lastly, we would like to thank all of our sponsors. We appreciate your support and partnerships, for without you, the STA could not achieve its intended goals. A list of all of our Sponsors is below and for those firms who are still considering a sponsorship, we encourage you to view this year’s package.