7
As we gather in Argentina to
celebrate our 20th anniversary of
the Association of Futures Markets, I
have the privilege as your chairman to
make a few remarks as the foreword
to this very special book of reflections.
I believe the Association was established all those years
back in 1998 to provide a networking platform for
emerging exchanges and service providers whom had a
desire to promote the use of derivative markets for price
risk management purposes. This desire has become a
well-established association where AFM members are
no longer just acquaintances but rather a number of us
share friendships that span over many years.
Developing new markets is no easy task and so the
association has strived to be able to provide at least
one meeting a year, preferable two, where members
can discuss issues prevalent around their stage of
development. For me this has certainly been one of the
most valuable outputs of the association where even
as potential competitors, AFM members openly share
ambitions and solutions to challenges. It is within this
spirit, that I believe the association has been able to build
such lasting relationships amongst its members.
Reflecting back to my first AFM meeting in Budapest in
2004, I fondly recall the memories of meeting members
of the association for the first time and who welcomed
new comers with open arms. The panel discussions
remain interactive, even after all these years where we
encourage conference participants to challenge both
moderator and panellists with questions to help address
their own markets. I often come away from an AFM
conference with a number of idea’s for new products or
enthusiastic to do things differently in my own country,
based on shared experiences learnt at the conference.
Another highlight for me regards the association, is the
opportunity to meet each year in a different member
country where our hosts have always gone out of their
way to showcase their own markets, cultures and history.
There is nothing more special than to appreciate how
diversified we are on this planet but when it comes to
passion for developing futures markets, the AFM members
are united. I can also vouch that hosting an event does
take a significant amount of planning and time, but the
reward of sharing your own country offering is a proud
one. It was certainly an honour to host the AFM members
in South Africa and the JSE in 2013.
There is one person I would like to single out from the
association, Krisztina Kasza, who has been responsible
for our secretariat since inception. Krisztina I believe
it is your commitment and enthusiasm at serving the
association that has attributed to the fact that we can
hold this 20th anniversary meeting. Thank you for your
unselfish commitment and passion for the AFM. Thank
you also for all your hard work in putting together this
book of comments and photos to ensure we treasure our
20 year journey.
There are a number of other folk that have shaped the
association and contributed significantly to its evolution.
We have asked them to each contribute their experiences
and added these to the book. Enjoy reading them.
I would also like to thank all the AFM members for
entrusting me to hold the chairmanship role for the past
4 years, this has been a great privilege and I would also
like to extend my sincere gratitude to the AFM Board
Members who have actively supported me in this role.
I do hope you will enjoy this book and in years to come,
reflect on the many good memories we have had not only
building our own markets in our respective countries,
but also knowing we were able to do so sharing these
experiences with our fellow AFM members.
If you are not an AFM member, it is never too late to join
the family.
Enjoy this book of reflections and many thanks again to
our hosts in Argentina!
Yours sincerely
Chris Sturgess
AFM Chairman
JSE: Director Commodities & Key Client Management
Association of Futures Markets –
An association inspired to build friendships and share experiences, all for the greater good of evolving futures markets
in emerging markets – a tribute to 20 years in action
Preface
Dear AFM Friends,
Preface
