Speaking at the AFA’s recent EVOLVE Conference, AFA National President, Michael Nowak said that due to COVID-19 restrictions and being unable to host a face-to-face conference, the AFA’s traditional adviser awards program was postponed, however the AFA still wanted to celebrate its belief in great advice.

“The AFA Great Advice Awards are about acknowledging great stories from financial advisers about the successful outcomes they have delivered to clients,” he said. “Advisers share stories that demonstrate the financial, behavioural and emotional value that their advice has provided.”

Each state had a winner and a finalist.

The NSW winner was Terry Johnson from Keyman Financial Services in Parramatta, NSW.

“Terry has many claim stories of which to be proud,” Mr Nowak said. “Not only has he administered pro bono claims, but he always shows the utmost care to his clients when they need it the most.”

The Victorian winner was Adrienne Rush from iCare Financial Advisory Pty Ltd in Melbourne.

“Adrienne is such an impressive adviser. She has been recognised as a finalist in the AFA’s Female Excellence in Advice Award twice,” Mr Nowak said. “Adrienne’s great advice story demonstrates both the financial and psychological benefits of advice.”

Gayle McKew from Prosperity Planning Partners on the Gold Coast was the Queensland winner. Gayle’s great advice story highlighted many interconnecting elements of holistic client and family financial care. “This included intergenerational wealth advice, estate planning and wealth transfer advice, portfolio management and retirement planning.”

South Australian Simon Capp from Treehouse Financial Planning in Adelaide won the award for a story which demonstrated the great care he exhibited in helping a client in distress after a family loss and empowering the client to continue a journey towards achieving their goals.

AFA Inspire National Chair, Dawn Thomas, from Integro Private Wealth in Perth was the Western Australian winner. “Dawn’s great advice story demonstrated her ability to build trust with a client who had previously received poor advice. She restructured the client’s financial affairs and provided guidance to help the client achieve independence and work/life balance.”

The AFA thanked Sunsuper for supporting the Awards and for their ongoing support of advice.

Sunsuper’s Head of Advice and Retirement, Anne Fuchs said, “We were proud to support the AFA Great Advice awards in 2021 and would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists. Sunsuper has 1.4 million members and close to 4,000 registered advisers, therefore we understand and deeply value the role financial advisers play in helping Australians achieve their retirement dreams.”

A list of state winners and finalists appears below.

Winners:

• Adrienne Rush (VIC)
• Gayle McKew (QLD)
• Dawn Thomas (WA)
• Simon Capp (SA/NT)
• Terry Johnson (NSW/ACT)

State Finalists:

• Tim Hall and Simon Green (QLD )
• Donna Lee Powell (WA)
• Nikola Radoicic and Paul Katranis (SA/NT)
• Craig Phillips (NSW/ACT)
• John Cachia (VIC)

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Kate McCallum

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and TAL have announced Kate McCallum of Multiforte Financial Services as the winner of the 2014 AFA Female Excellence in Advice Award (the Award).

AFA CEO, Brad Fox, said Ms McCallum is passionate about the advice profession and the value of quality financial advice and is an outstanding role model for fellow female advisers.

“Kate was an exemplary candidate for the Award, and we are proud to have her as the winner for 2014,” he said. “The Award seeks to focus attention on financial advice as an excellent career pathway for women as well as to close the advice gap that exists between the willingness of Australian women to seek financial advice compared to that of men. Developing financial literacy with female clients and the confidence to make informed decisions that comes from that knowledge, is an important criteria for the Award.”

Mr Fox said the finalists, semi-finalists and nominees for the Award are all to be congratulated for their continued commitment to bringing great advice to more Australians. “These women will continue to help raise the profile of financial advisers and the great difference they make to the lives of their clients and their communities. The AFA, together with TAL, is delighted to be able to recognise them for this.”

Brett Clark, TAL Deputy Group CEO, said Ms McCallum was an outstanding candidate and deserving Award winner.

“We are proud to encourage and inspire women in the industry to be the best they can be,” he said. “All of the Award candidates are making meaningful contributions to their profession and their passion and dedication is profoundly impacting their communities and their clients. Kate typifies the best qualities of the advice community and her support and leadership for both her clients and her peers demonstrate how much she puts back into the profession.”

Commenting on her involvement in the Award process, Ms McCallum said, “The Award for me celebrates remarkable advice – the type of advice that is absolutely about the client and ultimately changes their life. It also offers the chance to tell the story of the ‘good guys and gals’ in advice.

“I’ve found the experience energising and also challenging. Challenging because you have to put yourself out there. It’s led me to reflect on what I have achieved and the areas where I am still striving. I’m very aware that excellence is a journey.”
The other finalists were:

• Adrienne Rush, Bendigo Financial Planning
• Dominique Bergel-Grant, Leapfrog Financial
• Sarah Riegelhuth, Wealth Enhancers

Ms McCallum will receive a full scholarship from Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) (valued at $12,000) to complete either a Postgraduate Certificate in Management or an Executive Education Leadership Development Program.

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Brett Clark

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and TAL have yesterday announced the finalists in the 2014 AFA Female Excellence in Advice Award (the Award).

The Award, which is offered annually, recognises female financial advisers who are making a significant contribution to their profession, their community and particularly to female clients.

AFA CEO, Brad Fox, said the Award is an important step in the continuous recognition of the achievements of women in financial advice.

“Showcasing the talents of female financial advisers is particularly important in the mission to increase the number of individuals, particularly women, who seek advice to gain appropriate superannuation savings, insurance and overall financial well-being,” he said.

“But it’s more than that. The Award is a catalyst to attract more women to become financial advisers and to bring their talents, including empathy and understanding, to the advice market place. We are incredibly proud of our finalists and all that they have achieved to this stage of their careers.”

TAL Life CEO Brett Clark said the job of shortlisting the final group proved to be difficult for the judges because of the very high standards of all of the semi-finalists.

“The finalists are all exceptional candidates and congratulations to each of them for making the final cut in what has been a highly competitive year for the Award. This year all of the semi-finalists attended a special two-day master class on leadership and development which they highly valued as part of the award program. All of the finalists are outstanding advisers and leaders in their own right who are delivering tremendous value for their clients and for the advice profession as a whole.”

The finalists for the 2014 Award are:

• Adrienne Rush, Bendigo Financial Planning
• Dominique Bergel-Grant, Leapfrog Financial
• Kate McCallum, Multiforte Financial Services
• Sarah Riegelhuth, Wealth Enhancers

The AFA Female Excellence in Advice Award is a joint initiative of the AFA and TAL with support from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM). The winner of the 2014 Award will be announced at the AFA National Adviser Conference in Cairns on Tuesday 14 October 2014 and receive a full MGSM scholarship (valued at $12,000) to complete either a Postgraduate Certificate in Management or an Executive Education Leadership Development Program.

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The Award, which is offered annually, recognises female financial advisers who are making a significant contribution to their profession, their community and particularly to female clients.

AFA CEO, Brad Fox, said the Award is a positive change catalyst for financial advice, with more women being encouraged to join the advice profession; Australians having greater choice when selecting an adviser and more women experiencing positive outcomes from receiving quality financial advice.

“We are delighted to have received an amazing number of entries for the Award again this year,” he said. “Boosting the number of female advisers in the profession is essential. It is a well-established fact that Australian women face significant challenges when trying to grow and protect their wealth and many feel more comfortable seeking advice from another woman.”

Brett Clark, TAL Life CEO, spoke of the high calibre of entrants.

“At TAL we understand the benefits that diversity brings to our industry and the wider community, so we are delighted to be partnering with the Award for the third year,” he said. “The quality of the nominations this year was again very impressive and a great indication of the calibre of women seeking to make a difference in financial services.  Congratulations to the finalists and thank you to everyone else who entered or nominated an adviser.”

Now in its third year, the Female Excellence in Advice Award is a joint initiative of the AFA and TAL. The winner of the 2013 Award will be announced at the AFA National Conference on the Gold Coast, Tuesday 15 October 2013.

The Award finalists are:

• Adrienne Rush, Bendigo Financial Planning Ltd
• Dominique Bergel-Grant, Leapfrog Financial Pty Ltd
• Catherine Robson, Affinity Private Pty Ltd
• Eleanor Dartnall, Dartnall Advisers Pty Ltd
• Justine Back, Back to Back Financial Planners
• Dianne Charman, Jade Financial Group Pty Ltd

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