Female Excellence in Advice winner announced

Catherine Robson of Affinity Private, an Apogee Financial Planning practice, will receive a handcrafted trophy, formal certificate of recognition and a full scholarship to complete an executive leadership course at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in Sydney, the AFA announced.

AFA chief executive Brad Fox said Ms Robson is a deserving winner of the award and personifies the high calibre of female financial advisers nominated for the award and their commitment to their profession, their clients and their communities.

“Catherine is passionate about the value of financial advice and is a fantastic role model for other women, both in the profession and wanting to join the profession,” he said.

The award will go a long way towards helping the industry attract more women to seek a career as a financial adviser, whilst also demonstrating to consumers that the profession is committed to helping address the gender-specific financial challenges that Australian women face, the AFA stated.

“It is our hope that people recognise that when it comes to financial advice, there is now an increasing number of female advisers who can help them,” Mr Fox said.

“We also want to ensure that consumers understand that our profession recognises that female consumers have unique financial advice needs and that financial advisers can help them meet those needs.”

TAL Life chief executive Brett Clark said it is important to raise the profile of financial advice as a career choice for women.

“We would like to see more women entering the financial advice profession, and initiatives such as the Female Excellence in Advice award play an important part in recognising the vital role women play in our industry. The more women we can encourage to become financial advisers, the greater impact we will have in helping more Australian women achieve financial wellbeing and protection,” he said.