Christine Cupitt

The Council of Australian Life Insurers (CALI) has opened applications for its annual ReCALIbrate program aimed at supporting women who are risk advisers in the industry.

In 2024, CALI will provide $2,000 grants to five women who are mid-career, financial risk advisers to attend the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) Congress from 27 to 29 November in Brisbane.

“Women in the industry have told me they often don’t have the time or money to invest in themselves,” said CALI CEO Christine Cupitt.

Following the success of ReCALIbrate in 2023, CALI has confirmed the program will continue as part of the life insurance industry’s commitment to supporting women in financial advice careers.

“The ReCALIbrate grants give women the flexibility they need to pay for childcare and other costs associated with leaving their families for a few days. These are the things that can hold women back from participating in important industry discussions and education opportunities,” said Ms Cupitt.

“Our hope at CALI is that we can play our part to support more women in giving people peace of mind when making important decisions about their life insurance needs.”

Financial Adviser at Fox and Hare, Trish Gregory, was one of five recipients last year who attended the FAAA Congress in Adelaide.

“There was this memorable moment at the FAAA Congress; I was standing around in a group of about eight women and realised that every single one of us was at the FAAA Congress because of a scholarship and a number of us wouldn’t have come otherwise,” said Ms Gregory.

“The ReCALIbrate program makes a huge impact because women have less money available to them than men, due to the gender pay gap. So, this grant can go a lot further to really help women access opportunities to learn and connect and further their career.”

The theme of this year’s FAAA Congress is “Power Up”.

“I encourage women in the risk advice profession to apply for a ReCALIbrate grant. Congress is an incredible opportunity for networking and personal development. This year’s Congress has something for everyone – inspiring speakers, technical workshops and specialist sessions, all in a beautiful setting where you get face time with your peers,” said FAAA CEO Sarah Abood.

Each ReCALIbrate recipient will also be paired with a life insurance industry leader to provide a forum for ongoing mentorship, learning, support and advice.

“Having the opportunity to have time with an industry leader is not something that I would just stumble across,” said Ms Gregory.

“The conversations that I’ve had through the program have been invaluable. They’ve really helped to frame up some of the thoughts I’ve had around the way I work and my practice.”

Applications are now open and will close on Sunday 8 September.

All eligible women are encouraged to apply via CALI’s website.

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The 2023 ReCALIbrate recipients are:

• Kirsten Genter, Zurich Assure
• Asha Burrows, Platinum Partners
• Azaria Bell, Skye Wealth
• Trish Gregory CFP^R, Fox and Hare Financial Advice
• Adele Martin, Adele Martin – Money Mentor

“CALI is committed to supporting a vibrant and sustainable industry and address the decreasing number of financial advisers in Australia. ReCALIbrate aims to promote more diversity among financial advisers so that consumers receive appropriate advice that is relevant to them. CALI is pleased to provide these grants to five deserving and inspirational women. We are confident that the ReCALIbrate recipients will find the FAAA Congress engaging and informative and will leverage their knowledge for the benefit of their clients and team members,” said Christine Cupitt, Chief Executive Officer at CALI.

“Through research conducted by CALI on behalf of our members, it is clear that women have unique advice needs and having a financial adviser that understands their circumstances and needs is crucial to effective and impactful advice,” said Ms. Cupitt.

CALI Board Member and Managing Director of Clearview Wealth Limited, Nadine Gooderick, said “Risk specialists have an important role in the life insurance ecosystem, so it is important that we foster the next generation of talent. This will ensure that consumers understand their life insurance needs, secure adequate cover and, at claim time, get benefits paid. Women have historically been under-represented in our industry and at industry conferences more broadly, which are important events for education, network and inspiration.”

“With a shared desire to encourage engagement among female financial risk advisers and foster the next generation of female talent, we are pleased to support CALI’s ReCALIbrate program. We look forward to welcoming the ReCALIbrate recipients to the FAAA Congress in November,” said Sarah Abood, Chief Executive Officer at the Financial Advice Association Australia.

To ensure women continue to engage with the industry and benefit beyond the event, each ReCALIbrate recipient will be paired with a senior female life insurance industry leader and have the opportunity to have two in-person or virtual meetings. The purpose of these meetings will be to provide a forum for mentorship, learning, support and advice.

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