CA ANZ appoints new financial advice leader

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) has announced the appointment of Michael Davison as the new financial advice leader, bringing more than two decades of experience to the role.

In this new role, Davison will be a policy and advocacy leader for financial advice within the accounting profession, government, and the broader community.

Prior to taking on this role, Davison worked at CPA Australia for more than 20 years, most recently holding the position of senior manager, advocacy and retirement policy. In this role, he represented the organisation’s members across a wide variety of policy areas, such as ethics and governance, taxation, and technology, among other responsibilities.

Within CPA Australia, Davison also held the position of advocacy manager and prior to that, he was the senior policy adviser, superannuation for almost 15 years, helping develop the organisation’s policy positions.

Speaking on the announcement, Davison highlighted the struggles the advice profession is currently facing, expressing hope for the impact he and the organisation’s members can have in delivering more affordable advice.

“The need for financial advice is increasingly important to Australians; however, access to quality, well-qualified and knowledgeable advisers is very difficult, if not impossible, for the average person,” Davison said.

“The recent Quality of Advice Review recommended sensible reforms that could make financial advice more accessible and affordable. Our members in public practice are well placed to be involved in alleviating the community’s very large unmet advice needs, and we will continue to advocate on this important issue.”

He added that he was pleased to be joining the organisation and taking on the new role.

“Having spent many years collaborating with the CA ANZ team, it is a pleasure to now join them as they lead the accounting profession’s advocacy for better financial advice and retirement outcomes for all Australians,” Davison said.

CA ANZ group executive advocacy and international development Simon Grant said Davison’s advocacy experience would make him a great asset to the organisation.

“Over many years, CA ANZ enjoyed a great collaborative working relationship with Michael while he was at CPA Australia,” Grant said.

“Michael’s wealth of experience across a number of policy areas will be invaluable for our advocacy efforts, particularly in superannuation and financial services. He’s a great addition to our advocacy team.”