2016 FEIA Award winner, Peita Diamantidis

The record number of applications for the Female Excellence in Advice (FEIA) Award indicates that as more women enter the advice industry they are making a greater impact on their customers’ experiences.

A joint initiative by the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and Australia’s leading life insurance specialist, TAL, the FEIA Award celebrates women in financial advice who are making a significant contribution to their profession, their community and their clients.

42 female financial advisers applied for the 2017 FEIA Award, which is a 40% increase on last year. The majority of applicants own and run their own businesses under a dealer group.

Niall McConville, General Manager, Retail Distribution at TAL said the standard of applicants has remained consistently high since the Award was established in 2011.

“As one of the award judges, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the standard of entrants improve over time as female participation in the industry changes. While we still have a long way to go in our journey to reaching equal gender representation in the financial advice industry, it’s encouraging to see more female financial advisers come forward and promote their achievements, which can inspire others to follow their lead.”

The FEIA Award 2017 semi-finalists are:

• Amanda Pond, Financial Adviser/Lifestyle Money Coach, Puddle 2 Pond Financial
• Amie Wild, Director & Financial Adviser, Avanti Advisers
• Christina Cabrera, Founder, Wisdom of Wealth for Women
• Kath Orman, Senior Financial Planner, Goals & Dreams
• Katherine Hann, Financial Adviser & Practice Principal, Financial Wisdom
• Lea Schodel, Founder, Wellthy
• Nicole Heales, Principal Adviser & Broker, Nicole Heales Financial
• Sacha Burchgart, Founder/Managing Director, Burcheart
• Simone Richardson, Director, Tall Poppy Wealth
• Susan Morris, Financial Adviser, Northern Wealth Advisory Group
• Tracey Sofra, Principal Financial Planner, Sofcorp Financial Services

“We congratulate all of this year’s semi-finalists, who had phenomenal submissions. Their entries were clear standouts in terms of the successes they’ve had in running their businesses as well as the contributions they’ve made to the community,” said Mr McConville.

AFA CEO Phil Kewin said the award process is not just about winning; it is also about the tremendous value gained through the process, which is why TAL and the AFA introduced an additional feedback component to give unsuccessful award applicants advice on how they could improve their applications.

“Our aim is to make the overall award process a constructive and rewarding experience for everyone involved. One of the ways we can do this is by offering individual applicants additional feedback from one of the judges if they want it.

“We are excited to progress the semi-finalists to the next round of judging, which consists of in-depth interviews to help us determine the finalists,” he said.

The finalists for the FEIA Award will be announced in September 2017, with the winner announced at the AFA National Adviser Conference on October 11-13.

The Winner of the Award will receive a $15,000 tailored education package, courtesy of TAL. TAL and the AFA will work with the winner to tailor the package to the winner’s requirements in furthering their professional development.

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Craig Banning

Individual advisers and practices across the Hillross, AMP Financial Planning and Charter Financial Planning network have received top awards to recognise their high levels of professionalism, operational excellence, superior client service and quality advice as part of an annual awards program.

Hillross and AMP Financial Planning Managing Director, Michael Guggenheimer, and Charter Financial Planning Managing Director, Tim Mitchell-Adams, praised the achievements of the award recipients.

“We know the real difference financial advisers can make in helping people plan for a more secure future. These awards acknowledge advisers and businesses which are leading the way in helping customers achieve their financial goals through quality advice,” said Mr Guggenheimer.

AMP Financial Planning, Hillross and Charter advisers can nominate colleagues or self-nominate for the awards, with submissions assessed by a panel of industry experts.

Clients of the finalists for AMP Financial Planning and Hillross were also surveyed by an independent research specialist, Beddoes Institute, to assess client satisfaction as part of the judging process.

AMP Financial Planning

Navwealth Financial Group located in St Leonards, NSW won Practice of the Year for demonstrating the highest standards of professionalism, operational excellence and client service. Led by Craig Banning, Navwealth was also a finalist for the AFA Practice of the Year award category in 2016.

“The team at Navwealth are really focussed and passionate about helping their clients reach their goals on purpose, and not by accident. The practice is an outstanding example within the profession,” Mr Guggenheimer said.

AMP Financial Planning also recognised the following advisers for their contribution to advice and the community:

• Adviser of the Year – Esther Althaus, Perspective Financial Solutions, South Yarra, VIC
• New Adviser of the Year – Scott Miller, First Class Wealth, Sydney CBD, NSW
• New Practice of the Year – First Class Wealth, Sydney CBD, NSW
• Value of Advice – Amanda Pond, Puddle to Pond Financial, Nowra, NSW

Hillross

Coral Coast Financial Planning located in Cairns, QLD won both the Advisory Firm of the Year award and the Financial Freedom achievement award, recognising the practice’s ongoing delivery of high quality advice and leading client service.

Led by Craig Armstrong, the firm prides itself on its long-term financial relationships.

“The practice’s long-standing client relationships is testimony to the high-quality financial planning advice and service it provides,” Mr Guggenheimer said.

Hillross also recognised the following advisers for their contribution to advice and the community:

• Financial Adviser of the Year – Gary Dean, Prosperity Wealth Advisers, World Square, NSW
• New Adviser of the Year – Jay Murphy, Arrive Wealth Management, Brisbane, QLD
• Professional Excellence – Simon Everett, Elysian Wealth Services, West Perth, WA
• Service to the Community – Definitive Financial Services, Tony Greenham, Subiaco, WA

Charter Financial Planning

Charter advisers Ray Albright (NSW-ACT), David Dyson (VIC-TAS), Christopher Manthey (QLD), Alex Brown (SA-NT) and Gary Addison (WA) received the 2016 State Advisers of the Year awards for their outstanding work and contributions to Charter.

The 2016 Charter National New Adviser of the Year award winner was Andrew Thomas from Crest Financial Services located in Cook Hill, NSW.

The 2016 National Value of Advice award winner is Ben Law from Exceed Financial located in Kangaroo Point, QLD.

The prestigious Gerald Lippman Perpetual Trophy for 2016 was awarded to Andrew Harris of Minerds Bell Consultancy Group located in Kingswood, SA. The Gerald Lippman Perpetual Trophy is awarded each year to the adviser that is judged to have made the greatest contribution to the progress of Charter during the past 12 months in areas such as professional and business development, industry involvement, community activity, marketing and promotion.

“‘My favourite time of year is when the Charter community comes together to honour our highest achievers. It’s always so great to hear the advisers share their stories and how the valuable advice they provide is making a real difference to so many people,” said Tim Mitchell-Adams.

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