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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Peita Diamantidis, 2016 FEIA Award winner.

TAL, Australia’s leading life insurance specialist, and the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) has announced the finalists for the Female Excellence in Advice (FEIA) Award. The finalists are in the running to receive a $15,000 tailored education package to further their professional development.

A joint initiative by TAL and the AFA, the FEIA Award celebrates women in financial advice who are making a significant contribution to their profession, their community and their clients.

The FEIA Award 2017 finalists are:

• Christina Cabrera, Founder, Wisdom of Wealth for Women
• Lea Schodel, Founder, Wellthy
• Nicole Heales, Principal Adviser & Broker, Nicole Heales Financial
• Sacha Burchgart, Founder/Managing Director, Burcheart
• Tracey Sofra, Principal Financial Planner, Sofcorp Financial Services

TAL General Manager, Retail Distribution, Niall McConville, congratulated the five finalists and applauded their efforts to encourage more women to become financial advisers.

“In addition to being outstanding financial advisers and astute business women, this year’s FEIA finalists are giving back so much to their communities by empowering women to take control of their financial futures and mentoring women who have an interest in the advice profession.

“More women are entering the advice profession in Australia and the industry is only getting better for it,” he said.

AFA CEO, Phil Kewin, said, “The FEIA Award has come a long way since inception and each year it is getting more difficult for the judging panel to narrow down the finalists. We have some exceptional talent in our industry and all nominees should be very proud of their achievements.

“We encourage all nominees who didn’t make the finals to take part again in 2018, and we thank all of those involved in supporting the FEIA Award, which has been promoting positive change in the financial advice profession for the past six years.”

The finalists will present to a judging panel on September 20 about their business achievements, community involvement and views on mentoring, education, gender diversity and future vision.

The winner of the FEIA Award will be announced at the AFA National Adviser Conference on October 11-13.

For more information on the Award, visit: http://www.afafemaleadvice.com/

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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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