2012 AFA’s FEIA award winner, Christine Hornery.

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA), in conjunction with TAL Life Insurance, is calling for nominations for the 2013 AFA Female Excellence in Advice (FEIA) Award.

With nominations closing 31 July to the profession’s leading award for female financial advisers, there are now less than four weeks remaining for those wanting to nominate a colleague or themselves via the FEIA website.

The aim of the annual award, a joint initiative by the AFA and TAL, is to acknowledge outstanding achievement by female financial planners/advisers, support the provision of financial advice to women in the community, and encourage more women to enter the financial advice profession.

TAL Life CEO Brett Clark said that he was again impressed by the calibre of the nominees received so far and encourages female advisers and their colleagues to seek the recognition and benefits that the award provides.

“Recent studies show that over 90% of women believe they need to be more involved in financial planning, but only 38% are currently using a financial planner. It’s crucial we take steps to bridge the gender gap in our industry,” he said.

“It is critical we create more diversity in corporate Australia and in the broader adviser community. In that way we can reach more Australians on their terms and help people from all sorts of diverse backgrounds secure their financial future. We hope that this award will go some way towards identifying standout advisers and create role models for advisers of the future.”

AFA CEO Brad Fox said that while gender imbalance improvements have been made, greater female participation in the financial advice sector is still needed.

“Financial services would benefit from more women holding leadership positions, and more females taking up financial advice as a career. That’s why the AFA with the support of TAL launched this award in 2011 – it was to be a catalyst; to shine a light on the amazing female adviser talent in Australia; to showcase excellence; to focus attention on how females participate in financial advice and ultimately attract a greater participation level. It has gone a long way already to creating this groundswell of awareness and change.”

Last year’s winner, Christine Hornery, said that the Award had really helped highlight the achievements of female financial planners and given them the confidence to speak out and share their stories.  Potential nominees who would like to hear Christine’s story are encouraged to view it here.

“More women should be encouraged to enter our profession,” Christine said. “It provides excellent opportunities and flexibility, but more importantly it provides rewards in terms of helping others achieve financial security.”

The 2013 winner of the AFA Female Excellence in Advice Award will be announced at the AFA National Conference on 15 October 2013, and will receive a hand crafted trophy, a special certificate and a full scholarship to complete an executive leadership course at the Macquarie School of Management (MGSM) in Sydney.

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