FAAA names winner of prestigious education award

Marc Whitworth of Macquarie Bank has been named as the latest recipient of the Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award, recognising him as the highest-performing student in the CFP Certification Unit for the semester.

Named for the late Gwen Fletcher, or the “First Lady of Financial Planning” as the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) called her, the award is given to the semester’s top performing student with “demonstrable dedication to providing high-quality advice”.

Whitworth is a Melbourne-based private banker at Macquarie Bank and has a bachelor of commerce majoring in financial planning and finance from Deakin University.

Prior to joining Macquarie Bank, Whitworth was a financial planner with Quadrant Local for almost five years and spent two years as a senior paraplanner with Carrington Financial Services.

Anne Palmer, FAAA general manager, education and professionalism, congratulated Whitworth on the achievement, noting the challenge of selecting a winner among the high level of commitment demonstrated by him and his cohort.

“Marc has demonstrated strong dedication and commitment to his studies, all while maintaining consistent high standards with his client work. On behalf of the FAAA, I congratulate him on reaching the highest level of qualification in financial planning,” Palmer said.

“The CFP Certification Program is an integral part of the FAAA’s efforts to support technical excellence in financial planning and equip planners with the skills and confidence needed to provide the best quality financial advice to Australians.

“As a result, we are seeing more members taking part in the course, seeking to upskill, which is ultimately a good thing for the financial planning profession as a whole.”

Others among the summer semester cohort include Alex Porter, David Cooper, Rex Wang, James Middleton, Jeremy Zenwirth, Karissa Penna, Luke Dean, Manpreet Banga, Mitch Buckley, Nick Churkovic, Paul Johnston, Priscilla OSay N-tim and Samuel Gall.