Farewell as FPA Chair and thank you

This week marks my last as FPA Chair after three and a half years in the role and almost eight years on the FPA Board.

I know it is unusual for a Chair to step down outside the AGM, but this had been planned to occur in November last year.?The need to appoint and induct a new CEO was the motivation for me to continue in the role a little longer to support a smooth on-boarding of our CEO Sarah Abood. Sarah has now been in the role for more than three months and is firmly the right choice for the FPA of the future.

My succession plan has officially been in place for over nine months with the appointment of David Sharpe CFP?, the FPA Deputy Chair, as my successor.

In reality, it has been longer than this as David has been leading a significant project for the FPA for almost three years to reinvent the way the FPA interacts with you, our members – from your experience online in the FPA Member Portal, through to how we offer member services that are unique to your specific needs.?It is only appropriate that as this project is ready to launch, that David should be the person to do so.

In addition, there are many other projects that I have been pursuing with a passion that I leave to the team to complete – these projects all reflect the wishes of FPA members, and I look forward to seeing them delivered and the potential each of them brings.

You have heard me frequently say that being appointed the FPA Chair was the greatest privilege of my professional life. ?To represent my peers at all levels of work, to meet so many of you in person and virtually, to face the challenges together and celebrate the opportunities – this will stay with me forever.??

I will never forget I was a custodian for our profession for a time and I constantly walked with that responsibility. I hope I lived up to your expectations, took on your feedback and delivered where I could.?The work is far from done but the groundwork for real change is in place.

I am proud that during my tenure we reaffirmed our three pillars of MEMBERS, ADVOCACY and CONSUMERS.?To support this, we launched our proactive policy platform Affordable advice, sustainable profession.?We also delivered comprehensive CPD programs to you via FPA Learn. I know this will go from strength to strength in the future as CPD is seen as more than a box ticking exercise, but something to support continuous, personal and professional improvement.

As I sign off, I challenge you to consider on a personal level, what are you doing for your profession??How are you helping to change the reputation of financial planning and to build trust within the community??

I know that many of you are doing a lot – from involvement in local charities and community organisations, speaking at high schools and universities about our profession, pro-bono work with clients that need but cannot afford our services, through to those supporting the advocacy work that is sorely needed to change the attitudes of our stakeholders.?

But for those who want to see further profession-wide change come to fruition, I challenge you to see the power of working together in a united and positive way. It’s too easy to shift the blame, often unjustly placed on associations. I urge you to reconsider your approach and get on board to work together for positive change – one strong message by many voices in many places will build trust and further legitimize financial planning as a true profession.

Thank you for your support and your trust and I ask you to join with me in providing David, the FPA Board and Sarah our full support for the work they continue for us as members and the profession as a whole.?

---Marisa Broome CFP?