Martin McGrath

The Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) has announced the 2023 winners of the inaugural FAAA Awards across six professional categories.

They are:

• FAAA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® of the Year Award:
  Martin McGrath CFP® of Financial Edge Group in NSW
• FAAA Professional Practice of the Year Award (sponsored by Cbus Super):
  Boutique Advisers from Western Australia
• FAAA Adviser of the Year (sponsored by Zurich):
  Sacha Burchgart from Burcheart in NSW
• FAAA Inspire Women – Excellence in Advice Award (sponsored by TAL):
  Cara Williams from Sufficient Funds in Queensland
• FAAA Gen Next Rising Star of the Year:
  Jayden Adams from Adams Financial Group in Queensland
• The FAAA University Student of the Year Award:
  Jacob Eliopoulos of Deakin University

The Awards, presented at the FAAA Awards Gala Dinner at the FAAA Congress in Adelaide on 21 November, recognise professionals and businesses across Australia who provide the greatest standard of professional and trusted advice to consumers, as well as acknowledge outstanding university students who represent the future of the financial advice profession.

FAAA chief executive officer Sarah Abood said the Awards highlight the invaluable role of financial advisers in helping Australians achieve financial well-being and security through quality advice.

“The Awards recognise those who have delivered the highest standard of advice and represent the bright future of financial planning.

“I congratulate all the winners at this year’s FAAA Awards.  It has been a pleasure to witness the passion and dedication that they bring to their roles.

“All the judges enjoyed spending time talking to the finalists and hearing their stories ‘in person’ as well as putting a face to each entry,” Ms Abood said.

Commenting on the winner of the FAAA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® of the Year Award, Martin McGrath CFP® of Financial Edge Group, Ms Abood said the judges were impressed with how Mr McGrath demonstrated care, engagement and understanding of the needs of his clients.

“Martin provided strong examples of his strategic and technical advice and how this led to strong outcomes for his clients.

“Martin also showed how he has gone above and beyond for the financial planning profession with his strong community engagement and focus on improving financial literacy, as well as his tireless commitment to professionalism.

“Martin is a very deserving winner of this year’s FAAA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® of the Year Award,” Ms Abood says.

Boutique Advisers, the winner of the FAAA Professional Practice of the Year Award, was commended by the judges for its bespoke approach to catering to each client, its tireless commitment to supporting and developing its team, and its focus on continuous improvement in a rapidly changing advice landscape.

The judges recognised Sacha Burchgart, winner of FAAA Adviser of the Year, as a practitioner who is not just highly competent technically but also as someone who is always striving for excellence through her strong client-first approach.

Cara Williams, who received the FAAA Inspire Women – Excellence in Advice Award, articulated to the judges how her value propositions greatly improved not only her clients’ financial outcomes but also their lifestyles, as well as showing how her advice made a positive contribution to the wellbeing of her local community.

The judges were impressed by professional achievements made by Jayden Adams, who is the FAAA Gen Next Rising Star of the Year, as a recent entrant to the sector, as well his full dedication to improving the advice profession and his local community.

Jacob Eliopoulos, the FAAA University Student of the Year Award, has outstanding university grades and shows that the future of financial advice in Australia is in good hands.

Ms Abood also congratulated the finalists in each category.

“The quality of the applications for each award was outstanding, and all the finalists should be very proud of their achievements.

“I would like to thank the award sponsors, Cbus Super, TAL and Zurich, as well as all our judges, for helping to make the awards a great success.”

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The FAAA Awards recognise members who deliver the highest standards of professional and trusted financial advice to Australian consumers, as well as those who are going above and beyond to support their local communities. The awards also highlight the outstanding university students who represent the bright future of the financial advice profession.

The finalists in the 2023 FAAA Awards for each professional category are:

FAAA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional of the Year Award – finalists

• Hamish Landreth CFP®: Prosperity Advisers Group (QLD)
• Martin McGrath CFP®: Financial Edge Group (NSW)
• Bianca Musico CFP®: Warr Hunt (VIC)

FAAA Adviser of the Year (Sponsored by Zurich) – finalists

• Sacha Burchgart: Burcheart (NSW)
• Robin Sandover: The Wealth Designers (WA)
• Jordan Vaka: PlanningSolo (VIC) 

FAAA Inspire Women – Excellence in Advice Award (Sponsored by TAL) – finalists

• Kathy Havers CFP®: Viridian Advisory (VIC)
• Kelly King: Iconic Wealth (WA)
• Cara Williams: Sufficient Funds (QLD)

FAAA Professional Practice of the Year (Sponsored by Cbus Super) – finalists

• Boutique Advisers (WA)
• Future Gen Solutions (QLD)
• Warr Hunt (VIC)

FAAA Gen Next Rising Star of the Year – finalists

• Jayden Adams: Adams Financial Group (QLD)
• Scott Hendy: Focused Advisers (QLD)
• Jennifer Laing: Modern You Financial Planners (QLD)

FAAA University Student of the Year – finalists

• Jenna Bonaccorsi: Griffith University
• Rojen Legaspi: Deakin University
• Jacob Eliopoulos: Deakin University

FAAA chief executive officer Sarah Abood said: “The inaugural FAAA Awards shine a light on the positive contributions that financial advisers make to their clients’ well-being and security through quality financial advice.

“The FAAA Awards celebrate the commitment, talent, and passion of so many advisers within our profession.

“A huge congratulations to all the 2023 finalists. We have received so many exemplary applications that narrowing each category to just three finalists in each category was an incredibly difficult task for our judges.

“Each finalist has demonstrated a tireless dedication to their profession, their clients and their communities, improving the lives of Australians for the better,” Ms Abood said.

The winners in each category will be announced at the FAAA Awards Gala Dinner at the FAAA Congress in Adelaide on 21 November.  

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