Matrix Planning Solutions has been recognised by CoreData as the 2019 Licensee of the Year.
This recognition is based on the research firm’s annual Licensee Research, which measures financial advisers’ satisfaction with the offers of their respective Australian financial services licensees.
Matrix has also been named Institutionally Affiliated Licensee of the Year, where the full list of 2019 category winners includes:
Licensee of the Year Finalists
- Futuro Financial Services
- Matrix Planning Solutions
- Sentry Group
Winner: Matrix Planning Solutions
Institutionally Branded Licensee of the Year Finalists
Winner: MLC Advice
Institutionally Affiliated Licensee of the Year Finalists
- Australian Unity Personal Financial Services
- Financial Services Partners
- Matrix Planning Solutions
Winner: Matrix Planning Solutions
Independently Owned Licensee of the Year Finalists
- Futuro Financial Services
- Synchronised Business Systems (Synchron)
- Sentry Group
Winner: Sentry Group
Reflecting on the attributes that were most closely associated with these top licensee firms, CoreData reports satisfaction with licensees can be explained to a large extent by three factors:
- Business planning support
- Compliance support
- Communication
CoreData noted that every licensee named as a finalist or as a winner excelled on at least these three issues, as well as on a host of other issues that underpin a great licensee offer. The CoreData release added these licensee firms have:
- Assisted advisers constructively to deal with the compliance burden heaped upon them
- Helped the owners of financial advice businesses plan effectively for the future and map a path through the next five years
- Communicated effectively with their advisers about the road ahead, the changes that are coming and what the licensee is doing to get advisers through it.
Two individual awards were introduced this year, recognising an individual who has demonstrated leadership in bringing the licensee industry together and the leader of a licensee business who is most highly rated by the advisers within the licensee’s network. The two inaugural recipients of this recognition were:
Industry Leadership Award
Tim Steele – General Manager, NAB Financial Planning and NAB Direct
Advice Licensee Leadership Award
Paul Kelly – Managing director, Futuro Financial Services
Reflecting on this year’s winners, CoreData MD, Andrew Inwood, noted: “If it’s true that it’s never been a tougher time to be a financial adviser, then it’s also true that it’s never been a tougher time to run a licensee business –and there’s never been a more important time for those that run licensee businesses to demonstrate courageous and authentic leadership.”