Dear Members and Friends,
We were very saddened to learn of the death of Roger Ganser, the former Chair of the World Federation of Investors (WFI), on 16 July 2021.
BETTER FINANCE and WFI maintain a very close relationship since many years. Both international investor organisations also share many members and frequently hold joint events. Through our work together, many BETTER FINANCE members got to know Roger well.
He was a great advocate for investor education and was a passionate defender of the rights of individual investors and shareholders. He will be sorely missed, as will his passion for, and dedication to, the cause shared by all the members of BETTER FINANCE and WFI.
Our most sincere condolences go out to Roger’s widow Katherine, who participated to so many events and meetings of international investor organisations, as well as his children and grandchildren.
Below please find the message from WFI’s Chairman, Mark Northway, informing us of the death of Roger Ganser:
It is with deepest sadness that I must inform you of the death of former WFI Chair, Roger Ganser on 16th July, following a long struggle with an insidious illness.
Roger was awarded a Bachelor of Education from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, and a Master of Public Administration from the Rockefeller School at Stater University of New York - Albany.
In 1982 Roger founded the Madison Capital Corporation, which later changed its name to Venture Investors of Wisconsin. He served as its CEO and President, and a member of the Board of Directors, and as Managing Director of funds until his retirement in 2008 but continued to serve in an advisory role since then.
In 2001, he was awarded an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his role in the creation of a venture capital industry in Wisconsin.
Since retirement, Roger was a great advocate for investor education, serving in a variety of roles.
• Chairman, World Federation of Investors (www.wfic.org), Ghent, Belgium
• Chairman, Supervisory Board, Stichting Volkswagen Investors Claim, Oud-Beijerland, NL
• Chairman, the National Association of Investor Corporations-BetterInvesting (www.betterinvesting.org), Madison Heights, MI,
• Member, Investor Issues Committee, USA Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
• Member, International Stock Exchange Executive Emeriti
• Member, USA Security Exchange Commission (SEC) Investor Advisory Committee.
• Member, New York Stock Exchange Individual Investor Advisory Committee, NY
Roger was an avid and adventurous sailor, a lover of theater and the arts, and a world traveler. He was a devoted husband to Katherine, a proud father to Adam and Erin, and a doting grandfather.
Roger's commitment to improving the lot of individual investors, and in particular to improving investor education, have been an invaluable driving force for WFI. The Federation will proudly continue to foster the development of safe, investor-oriented cross-border capital markets, and to provide a focal point for shareholder organisations across the globe.
He will be deeply missed by all of us.
Mark Northway,
Chairman