Professionalism // BY MICHAEL NOWAK AFA National President
Welcome to the new AFA CEO, Helen Morgan-Banda @AFA_Pres
To start off this edition of the AFA “Financial Adviser” magazine, I am delighted to welcome our new AFA CEO, Helen Morgan-Banda who commenced her role on 2 August 2021. The AFA Board, in response to the challenges being faced by the AFA and its members, made the decision to look more broadly for a new leader, including considering candidates from outside Australia. Key to our decision to appoint Helen, was her experience as an accomplished CEO of member associations. Most recently she was the CEO of the Law Society of New Zealand (which has 15,000 members) and prior to that she was the CEO of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. In these roles, Helen has managed significant disruption akin to that being experienced by financial advisers and she has demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues being faced by our members. She has an acute understanding of the AFA culture and values and her skill set complements that of our existing team that the AFA Board believe will enhance our value to our members. Welcome Helen! The AFA looks forward to our next phase with you at the helm. We have made it through the end of financial year but not COVID just yet! Who would have thought that mid-way through 2021, parts of Australia would be again in extended lockdown. This creates a sense of familiarity or déjà vu, but also added complications to an already testing environment. As we enter the second half of the year, I wanted to reaffirm the AFA’s priorities for the remainder of 2021 1. Supporting advisers through 2021 and the FASEA exam. The AFA would like to have as many advisers as possible take the exam and is here to support all those who need a helping hand. Encouragingly, the Government has recently drafted legislation that will provide an extension into 2022 for those advisers who attempt the exam twice before the end of 2021.
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The Financial Adviser Vol 25. Issue Two
2. Supporting AFA communities and the wellbeing of our members. In these challenging times, it is critical that we support one another, so please reach out if you need support, and be there for one another. 3. Advocate for sensible reforms. As the Government introduces the last of the Royal Commission Recommendations, the AFA is committed to pursuing a more workable regulatory regime for financial advice.
AFA National Hybrid Conference – Not to be missed! In just a few more weeks, the AFA will hold our flagship event for the year, our National Conference. To manage the COVID challenge, we are running a hybrid event this year to deliver quality content nationally and provide localised events. The AFA Conference will provide members with a quality adviser driven agenda focussing on current issues. Already announced are Minister Jane Hume and new ASIC Chair Joseph Longo in his first announced engagement with advisers. There are also 30 CPD hours on offer, which is very handy! It is with regret that in a period such as this, we are not able to facilitate a face-to-face conference and engage personally with members. I hope you make the time to join us, and COVID permitting, attend your local state conference event, and to engage in our state based Great Advice Awards. As we prepare for Conference and the celebration of 75 years of an authentic vibrant community, I have been engaging with past leaders of the AFA. I wanted to share this quote from Dennis Bateman, former National President, on what the AFA means to him.
