Perth adviser Troy MacMillan, has been announced as the winner of the 2011 AFA Adviser of the Year.
Announced at the traditional gala ball marking the close of the Association of Financial Advisers’ (AFA) Annual National Conference, Mr MacMillan just edged out five other outstanding finalists for the Award, which is considered by financial advisers to be the premier aspirational benchmark in terms of peer recognition.
Mr MacMillan is the Managing Director of boutique financial planning firm, The Wealth Designers. He is one of three Western Australians who reached the final six in 2011 and follows last year’s winner, Steve Salvia (Southern Financial Strategies), who is also from Western Australia.
AFA CEO, Richard Klipin, said it was Mr Macmillan’s absolute commitment to excellence, superior client service, strong community involvement and streamlined systems and processes that marked him as the winner of the AFA’s premier award:
“It’s fair to say that all of this year’s finalists excelled in the four key areas – giving advice, business acumen, community service and industry service,” Mr Klipin said. “But Troy’s strong all-round practice and absolute commitment to excellence ultimately set him apart from his peers.”
Sponsored since inception by Zurich Financial Services, the insurer’s Life Risk Chief Operating Officer, Chris Rutherford, said that since Zurich first sponsored the award in 2003, the standard of adviser nominations has increased at a phenomenal rate:
“This year’s finalists are of exceptional quality,” said Mr Rutherford. “At a time of enormous change in our industry, the best advisers once again have shown themselves to be leaders and visionaries, who embrace change for the benefit of their clients and themselves.”
The 2011 finalists, each of whom were considered by the selection panel to conduct outstanding financial planning services, were:
Craig Ball: The Carter Group, Queensland
Anne Graham: McPhail HLG Financial Planning, Victoria
Troy MacMillan: The Wealth Designers, Western Australia
Mark Rando: Rando & Associates, Western Australia
Nicholas Sinclair: Wealthfarm, Queensland
Brian Woods: Nexus Wealth Management, Western Australia
