David Sharpe

In the three years since the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) merged to become the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA), the FAAA has become the unified voice speaking for professional advisers in Australia, says FAAA Chair David Sharpe.

“This Friday (3 April 2026) marks the three-year anniversary of the FAAA, formed with the overwhelming support and votes of members of both heritage organisations. Together, we now have 10,799 members, and the future of the profession is bright,” Sharpe says.

“What  I am most proud of is that the FAAA saw the coming together at the board, management and most importantly at the member level like we had always been one.

“The FAAA very quickly formed its own identity with members. Our communities have come together and created grassroots events and connections for members right across the country.

“The release of the 2030 Strategic vision and the Policy Platform at Congress 2024 consolidated what the FAAA stands for and what it hopes to achieve.

“With considerable challenges such as CSLR and confusion over AML – the benefit of a professional voice speaking for our members has never been more important,” Sharpe says.

Some key milestones for the FAAA since the merger include:

• The launch of the Advice Academy in November 2025 to help build and support a pipeline of new advisers entering the financial advice profession
• The announcement by the ATO in September 2024, after consistent lobbying from the FAAA, that greater deductions for upfront financial advice fees are now available
• The launch of the Advice Ambassadors program in February 2025, aiming to pair each member of parliament with a financial adviser in their electorate, ensuring their awareness of our issues and the value we add to local communities.
• The signing of a memorandum of understanding in November 2024 with FPSB India, a subsidiary of the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB), and the FAAA, to promote cross-border mobility and professional development for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP) aspirants and professionals.
• The November 2024 launch of a major consumer digital marketing campaign, promoting professional financial advice to consumers and explaining the value of obtaining advice from a member of the FAAA
• The September 2024 launch of an upgraded Find a Planner tool to help members connect with their ideal potential clients and grow their businesses
• The launch of the FAAA careers centre in June 2024 which features advice related roles at all stages, and which is actively promoted to student members and graduate members seeking employment in advisory firms.

Marisa Broome, FPA chair from October 2018 until May 2022, said the goal was to present a strong unified voice to stakeholders, and this has been achieved.

“It was very evident to then FPA CEO Dante de Gori, and me, that when the AFA and FPA joined together to meet with our politicians and regulators, we had a far greater impact,” Broome says.

“The AFA and the FPA were more similar than different – and in fact shared well over 1,000 members.  It made sense to join resources and be able to represent the majority of the professional financial advice sector.

“It was fortunate that our work with previous AFA presidents had built a lot of trust.  The openminded approach of then AFA president Sam Perera, and the trust we continued to build, provided the opportunity for the merger to be presented to the AFA and FPA boards.”

Sam Perera, AFA president from October 2021 until the time of the merger, said the AFA pursued the merger to ensure the success and longevity of the 77-year-old Association against the backdrop of a profession that desperately needed a strong, unified voice.

“We were convinced that coming together as the FAAA would enable us to be better resourced, more sophisticated, and a respected voice for the profession,” Perera says.

“It is clear that the FAAA has indeed risen to be the legitimate voice for the profession, advocating relentlessly for policy settings that enable financial advisers and their practices to thrive.

“Another important measure of success was our Association’s ability to keep members at the heart of everything it pursues. To that end, I congratulate David Sharpe, the FAAA Board and FAAA CEO Sarah Abood for their tireless work in translating the vision we had in 2023 into a reality.”

Sharpe also paid tribute to board members who recently stepped off the transitional FAAA board: Patricia Garcia and Katherine Hayes.

“The creation of the transitional FAAA board following the merger, comprising eight directors from the FPA and four from the AFA, and tasked with overseeing the transition and guiding the new association for three years, was extremely successful. I thank Patricia and Katherine for their service to the profession and their activity on the board over the past three years.”

FAAA CEO, Sarah Abood says the one constant for the financial advice profession is legislative change.

“The overwhelming vote to merge the two associations was a strong endorsement, with almost 97 per cent of members who voted, across both heritage associations, having voted to come together. It was a clear message that financial advisers wanted a unified membership body to represent them, support them and to navigate the ongoing legislative and regulatory change that faces the profession.

“While the FAAA has achieved much over the past three years, there is still work to be done and the policy and advocacy team’s work is continuing apace.”

“We are proud to represent professional financial advisers and the great work our members do every day, helping Australians become better off financially and achieve their goals and dreams.”

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David Sharpe

The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) and the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) have achieved legal completion of their merger to form the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA), and have confirmed the board directors of the new association.  

From 3 April 2023, FPA and AFA staff come together as a single team in one office, and activity will begin to be undertaken under the FAAA name.  

The FAAA has also unveiled its new logo, created following extensive member consultation. The logo and new branding will be rolled out during April. Central to the new logo design are the three “a”s of the name represented as three speech bubbles, to symbolise its voice in dialogue with key stakeholders.

While FPA members will start to see a transition to the new FAAA branding over coming weeks, the AFA will continue to operate under its own brand until 30 June, when those members who renew will move to the FAAA.  

David Sharpe will be the chair of the FAAA and Michelle Veitch has been appointed as deputy chair.  

The FPA directors who will serve on the FAAA board are:  

• David Sharpe – chair 
• Diana D’Ambra
• Kearsten James
• William Johns
• Jade Khao
•  Julie Matheson 
• Angela Martyn
•  Julian Place  

The nominated AFA directors who will serve on the FAAA board are:  

• Michelle Veitch – deputy chair 
• Katherine Hayes
• Patricia Garcia
• Shaun McDonagh  

AFA national president Sam Perera, who will not be joining the new board, said he is proud to have played a part in bringing together the two associations.

“I have decided to refocus my time toward my family, staff and practice who have been patient with my absence whilst I served on the AFA board. I will remain an active member of the FAAA and continue to contribute in the areas of policy and advocacy,” Mr Perera said. 

Mr Perera will remain the president of the AFA and an AFA Board member until the AFA is wound up.  

FAAA chair David Sharpe paid tribute to Mr Perera’s three and a half years on the AFA board and his tireless dedication to the profession over many more years.  

“I would like to thank Sam for his work as the AFA national president, and his deep commitment to bringing our two associations together.  I also thank the other AFA directors who have worked so hard to make this merger a reality,” Mr Sharpe said.

“I would also like to acknowledge and thank Marisa Broome who, as immediate past chair of the FPA, was deeply involved in the early stages of talks and integral to the ultimate success of our merger.  

“On behalf of the board of the FAAA, I would also like to extend our gratitude to all staff who have worked so hard to get us to this point.”  

Mr Sharpe added that the new board represents a unified voice for the financial advice profession.  

“We had already taken steps to bring the board members together to start discussions following the merger, and the AFA nominated directors participated as guests at the last FPA board meeting and strategy day.  

“We are now in a strong position to start our work as a merged association, advocating on behalf of members,” he said.  

FAAA deputy chair, Michelle Veitch, said the formation of the FAAA represents a new chapter in the financial advice profession.

“I urge all members to renew with the new association. The FAAA will speak with one strong voice for the vast majority of financial advisers in the Australian market, as we work towards ensuring better outcomes for advice practices and their clients,” she said.  

FPA and AFA membership renewals will kick off in May, with all branding, website and membership activity due to be fully transitioned to the FAAA branding by 30 June. 

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Sam Perera

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) today announced Sam Perera has been appointed the AFA’s National President.

Mr Perera’s appointment follows a decision by National President Michael Nowak to resign after many years of contribution to the AFA Board as a board member and President.

AFA Treasurer, Matthew Hawkins, also announced his resignation after seven years on the Board.

“I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Mike and Matt who have been long-serving members of the AFA Board,” Mr Perera said. “Mike has served for nine years, three of those as President, and Matt for seven years, a year as Treasurer.”

Mr Perera said the past few years have seen enormous pressures placed on advisers and the AFA, which represents them and advocates on their behalf.

“Mike has been an outstanding President of the AFA, tireless in his advocacy on behalf of the AFA as the Royal Commission reforms have continued unabated and the COVID-19 pandemic created major operational challenges for the AFA and our members,” he said.

“As Vice President, I had a unique insight into how the passion and absolute commitment Mike has for the AFA translated into a huge workload as President on top of his family and business commitments.

“The AFA Board fully supports Mike’s decision to share the load and allow somebody else to take on the presidential responsibilities.”

Mr Perera also acknowledged the contribution made by Matthew Hawkins.

“Matt also has significant work and family commitments and it’s time for somebody else to take on this significant role to allow him to focus on his other commitments,” he said.

Mr Perera said that at a Board meeting following the AGM, the other appointments made were:

• Michelle Veitch, Vice President
• Samantha Robinson, Treasurer

The AFA’s new president has been a member of the AFA Board for two years, one as Treasurer and one as Vice President.

All appointments are effective immediately.

The appointment of Sam Perera as President, Michelle Veitch as Vice President and Samantha Robinson as Treasurer are decisions of the Board to fill casual vacancies until the next AGM in 2022.

The AFA Board is now:

• President – Sam Perera
• Vice President – Michelle Veitch
• Treasurer – Samantha Robinson
• NSW/ACT – Katherine Hayes
• VIC – Vacant
• QLD – Patricia Garcia
• SA/NT – Jawad Ahmad
• WA – Stephen Knight
• TAS – Vacant
• Shaun McDonagh (Independent Director)

AFA CEO Helen Morgan-Banda thanked Mike and Matt on behalf of the AFA’s HQ team.

“Mike has been an inspirational leader for the AFA, and I want to thank him and Matt for supporting me and my team during a period of challenge and change,” she said.

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Mr Nowak has been a member of the AFA Board for eight years and is the immediate past Vice President, serving two consecutive terms. He was also the 2013/14 President during the Future of Financial Advice (FOFA) reform period.

“I am honoured to again serve as the AFA’s national president,” Mr Nowak said. “The AFA has set a firm forward strategy, with a strong policy and advocacy focus and a business plan that is well positioned to meet the current challenging COVID-19 economic conditions.

“I acknowledge that there are significant challenges ahead for financial advisers, but it is encouraging to see a change in the tone regarding reform. It is crucial that reform is delivered to ensure that financial advisers can continue to serve the financial advice needs of Australians.”

The AFA also announced Katherine Hayes has been appointed to the Board as the new State Director for NSW/ACT and Stephen Knight has been appointed to the Board as WA State Director.

Six of the nine Board members will remain, including the three Executive members and also Sam Robinson in Victoria, Patricia Garcia in Queensland and Jawad Ahmad in South Australia.  This provides continuity and stability for the AFA.

Members of the AFA Board hold office for two years and must be practising financial advisers.

AFA CEO, Philip Kewin said, “We welcome the new AFA Board Executive team and the new State Directors and are looking forward to working with them to further our vision for financial advice.

“We would also like to thank our outgoing President, Marc Bineham, for his outstanding contribution to the AFA. Marc is a passionate advocate for financial advice, and has served on the Board for 10 years, including two consecutive terms as President. We would also like to acknowledge the contribution from outgoing WA State Director James Ford, who steps down after six years on the Board.”

Members of the current AFA Board include:

Executive

• President – Michael Nowak
• Vice President – Sam Perera
• Treasurer – Matthew Hawkins
• Company Secretary – Philip Kewin

State Directors

• NSW/ACT – Katherine Hayes
• VIC – Samantha Robinson
• QLD – Patricia Garcia
• SA/NT – Jawad Ahmad
• WA – Stephen Knight
• TAS – Vacant

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Now in its 14th year, the Award recognises emerging talent in the financial advice industry who provide quality advice, excellence in client experience, contribute to the financial literacy of their clients and demonstrate a commitment to ongoing professional development.

The 2018 AFA Rising Star of the Year Award finalists are:Rachael Bursell – Finance Your Future

• Andrew Debono – Announcer Group
• Sam Jewell – Rising Tide Financial Services
• Jacinta Martin – Altitude Financial Management
• Rebecca Pritchard – Wealth Enhancers
• Ryan Skeen – Zella

Phil Kewin, AFA CEO  said, “We are delighted to be able to recognise some of the best and brightest talent in our profession. These individuals will be the future leaders of our industry and will help our industry evolve through a period of change.

“It was a hard task to pick only six finalists from such a strong group of applications. They have all shown exceptional work with clients and are all innovating in their practices to provide quality advice.”

ANZ Wealth Head of Sales, Don Sillar, said, “We are very excited about the calibre of this year’s professionals. We are constantly impressed year after year by the industry’s best new advisers and 2018 brings no exception.

“This year’s program has a great pool of talent and we are honoured to be in the company of these professionals. They have already made great contributions to the industry through client service, outstanding advice and community engagement. It is important we support these advisers for the future of the advice industry and we look forward to helping them develop both personally and professionally.”

This year’s judging panel included:

• Phil Kewin – AFA CEO
• Don Sillar – Head of Sales, ANZ Wealth
• Jenny Brown – Founder and CEO of JBS Financial Strategists
• Vanessa Bennett – CEO Next Evolution Performance
• Patricia Garcia – Director and Financial Adviser WB Financial
• Matt Hale – Director and Senior Financial Planner Rising Tide

Finalists will attend a full day ‘Personal Breakaway’ workshop run by Slipstream Coaching on 12 September in Sydney, covering business, financial and personal objectives and ID profiling to help identify drivers and values.

The winner will receive quarterly, personalised coaching from experienced Business Coach and qualified financial adviser, Phil Little for 12 months.

The Award winner will be announced at the AFA National Adviser Conference at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast on 10 October 2018.

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