FPA policy and advocacy GM calls it quits

The general manager of policy and advocacy at the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA), Ben Marshan, has announced his departure after seven and a half years.

Mr Marshan has been involved with the association since 2006 and was asked by Dante De Gori to join as a staff member in its policy and professional standards team in late 2015.

After initially taking up the position of professional standards and advocacy manager, Mr Marshan held a variety of roles including head of policy, strategy and innovation.

His departure comes ahead of the merger between the FPA and the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA). Legal completion of the merger is expected to take place on 3 April before a transition period runs between April and June.

Announcing his departure in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, Mr Marshan said: “In short — it’s been a long journey, I am burnt out and it’s time for a change.”

“The new merged association needs someone who is fresh to get it humming — and I reflected deeply and I can’t give as much as it needs at the moment, so I knew it was time to step away.”

Mr Marshan highlighted a range of accomplishments during his time at the FPA, including 324 submissions to government, over 600 meetings with politicians, departments, and regulators, and more than 1,650 stakeholder meetings and presentations.

Among the initiatives introduced during his tenure were digital SOA and video SOA guides, budget reports, FASEA code of ethics guidance, file note guidance, life insurance guide, COVID-19 relief measures for members, and ASIC approval of the FPA ongoing fees code.

“I couldn’t think of a better job and it’s been an honour to lead the FPA’s policy and government relations strategy and be given the opportunity to develop a number of thought leadership and guidance tools for members over the past seven and a half years,” said Mr Marshan.

In his post, Mr Marshan also expressed his thanks to the FPA’s members and committees as well as its staff and board.

“I’ll be back in a few weeks to announce my next adventure, but again, I want to thank everyone who’s helped me do what we’ve managed to do over the last seven and a half years,” he concluded.

The FPA has confirmed that AFA CEO Phil Anderson will act as interim general manager of policy & advocacy for the new merged association in light of Mr Marshan’s resignation, with a permanent decision to be made once the merger is finalised.

"We thank Ben for his dedicated work on behalf of the FPA’s members over the past almost seven years and wish him all the best in the future," said FPA CEO Sarah Abood.

Jon Bragg

Jon Bragg is a journalist for Momentum Media's Investor Daily, nestegg and ifa. He enjoys writing about a wide variety of financial topics and issues and exploring the many implications they have on all aspects of life.