Roland Xu

Roland Xu of Shore Financial Planning in Sydney is the winner of the Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award for Semester 2 2025.

Named after the late ‘First Lady of Financial Planning’, the award is presented by the FAAA and recognises the highest performing student in the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Certification Unit (CFP C) for each semester, with demonstrable dedication to providing high-quality financial advice. The CFP® designation is the largest and best-recognised financial planning designation globally.

Xu is a financial adviser with Shore Financial and has worked in financial planning for eight years.  He holds a bachelor of applied financial and actuarial studies from Macquarie University.

He says it is incredibly meaningful to be recognised as the Gwen Fletcher Award winner, especially in the context of how much the financial advice profession has changed over the past few years.

“Financial advice in Australia has gone through significant reform and in this changing environment, to be recognised for technical and professional excellence carries real weight.

“It can be easy as advisers to focus on process, compliance and the mechanics of advice, and forget the underlying privilege: that someone has entrusted you with decisions that materially shape their life trajectory. This award felt less like a moment of celebration and more like a reminder of that responsibility.”

The other financial advisers who completed their CFP certification this semester were:

• Andrew Galea
• Brooke Charity
• Damian Scollo
• Elise Marcus
• Harman Dhillon
• Huseyin Djemal
• Jeremy Douglas
• Kym Coleman
• Luis Arguello
• Madeleine Owens
• Mark Grasso
• Mary Ann Almasan
• Mathew White
• Matthew Katunar
• Shannon Victor
• Zaheer Lalani
• Zoe Kennedy
• Daniel Roggero
• Gareth Croy

Xu said that the CFP certification journey reinforces that good advice requires structured thinking, technical depth and strong ethical judgement.

“The CFP program deepens your technical capability and strengthens your judgement and confidence.

“It also connects you with a community of advisers who care about standards and professionalism, and it reinforces that this is a role built on responsibility and trust. It’s an excellent investment into becoming a more thoughtful and capable adviser.”

Anne Palmer, general manager – education at the FAAA, says pursuing the CFP certification can be challenging but it is also a rewarding and powerful way for advisers to show their expertise and dedication.

“CFP certification is the gold standard in financial planning and is a globally recognised designation for those who meet the highest standards of education, experience and ethics.

“On behalf of the FAAA, I congratulate Roland on winning the Gwen Fletcher Award and congratulate our new CFPs, who have shown dedication and professionalism.”

The CFP designation is the most respected financial planning designation globally, with more than 230,648 CFP professionals worldwide. It is a symbol of excellence for financial planners around the world who are actively committed through higher education and accountability to adhering to world-class professional and ethical standards. The CFP designation offers financial planning professionals a way to differentiate themselves in the profession.

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