As a professional association, the FAAA is governed by an elected Board and Executive team, and formal constitution that outlines how we should conduct our operations.
FAAA Constitution
Download the Constitution for the Financial Advice Association Australia here.
FAAA Board
David Sharpe CFP®, FAAA Chair
David became chair of the FPA Board in May 2022 after a year as deputy chair and has been a financial planner and FPA member since 2003. He has completed a Diploma in Financial Planning and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Distinction) from Curtin University.
David runs his own self-licensed financial planning firm, Globe Financial Planning, based in West Perth.
Michelle Veitch, Deputy Chair
Appointed 3 April 2023
Michelle is the Deputy Chair of the Board. Michelle has over 25 years financial services experience as a Senior Financial Adviser and is the founding principal and Managing Director of her South Australian based practice, Mybluesky.
At the AFA she was the Vice President and served the AFA community in various leadership roles for over 10 years including State Chair and South Australian Director. Michelle is a Fellow Chartered Financial Practitioner (FChFP), Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD) and Certified NLP Practitioner (Bus. Comms).
Michelle is a member of the Board Finance, Risk and Audit Committee of the FAAA.
Sheila Gutierrez-Cabacungan CFP®
Sheila is the Principle Financial Planner and owner of Wealth Forum, a small self-licensed practice in Sydney’s West. She is the Chair of the new Sydney Metro Community as well as having been a member of the Sydney Chapter since 2010, a Western Sydney Ambassador and a Women in Financial Planning Champion. Sheila is passionate about financial literacy and engaging with students and academics to advocate for careers in financial advice. In addition to being a CERTIFED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Sheila is also a SMSF Specialist Adviser® and holds a Bachelor of Economics.
Felicity Cooper
Felicity has been the director and authorised representative of her self-licenced AFSL for over six years on the Gold Coast. With over 20 years of experience in the finance sector, Felicity is the recipient of the AFA Adviser of the Year in 2022 and a previous winner of the FPA Financial Planner AFP of the Year in 2018 as well as other numerous awards. Felicity has been involved in her local chapter for many events and recently presented at the 2023 FAAA Roadshow around the country. Felicity is passionate about financial literacy and representing advisers. Felicity holds a Master of Financial Planning and a Bachelor of Business.
Diana D'Ambra
Diana has over 30 years experience as a non-executive director and independent adviser. She is currently a board member on six boards, four of which she chairs. Diana has a Bachelor’s & Masters of Commerce Degree, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, (FCA), a graduate and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia (FGIA).
Patricia Garcia CFP®
Appointed 3 April 2023
Patricia has been an Adviser since 2012 and a director of her own Queensland-based firm, Your Vision Financial Solutions, since 2016. She was an AFA board member for over four years. Some of her most recent successes include being a finalist for ‘Fortnum’s Adviser of the Year’ award in 2022 and 2021 and being awarded one of the ‘50 Most Influential Advisers‘ in 2022. She also won the FAAA AFP Financial Planner of the Year award in 2017.
Katherine Hayes
Appointed 3 April 2023
Katherine is the owner of Canberra-based Hayes and Co Insurance Services and has been working in the financial advice profession for 20 years. She was the winner of the 2017 & 2018 IFAA Risk Adviser of the Year Award and served as the AFA’s NSW and ACT state director from October 2020. Katherine is a member of the Policy and Regulations Committee and a member of the Joint Task force for Life Insurance and has served on Life insurance advisory boards.
William Johns CFP®
William is a practitioner member of the Board with a special interest in human rights, government policy relating to vulnerable Australians and disability policy. William has been a member of the FPA since 2008 and was a member of the FPA Board Policy and Regulations Committee from 2011 to 2016. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Business (Applied Finance, Financial Planning) and a Master of Disability Studies.
Deborah Kent CFP®
Deborah is the co-founder of Integra Financial Services, a boutique financial advice business located in Parramatta, Sydney. She has been a financial adviser for over 30 years and some of her many achievements include an FAAA Distinguished Service Award in 2004, AFA President, AFA NSW Director, AFA National Treasurer, Director of the AFA Foundation, President of the Western Sydney Business connection and FASEA Board Director. Deborah is passionate about helping Australians get great financial planning advice and learn about money so they can make the most of their lives and live the way they want without fear or uncertainty. She is equally, if not more, passionate about helping women succeed as advisers.
Jade Khao CFP®
Jade was Chair of the FAAA Sydney Chapter from 2018 until joining the FAAA Board in November 2022. Jade is also an FAAA Women in Wealth Champion, a panellist at the last FAAA Congress, an Ambassador for Future2 and regularly attends local universities and TAFEs on behalf of the FAAA. Jade holds a Bachelor of Business and is also a Life Risk Specialist® and SMSF Specialist Adviser®.
Shaun McDonagh
Appointed 3 April 2023
Shaun is a senior executive with over 25 years industry experience across education, training, health, community services, media, disability support, financial services and the not-for-profit (NFP) sectors. A graduate and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) holding business and law qualifications along with 16 years as a board director, Shaun served as an independent director of the AFA from February 2021. He is a member of the Board Governance and Remuneration Committee of the FAAA.
Angela Martyn CFP®
Angela Martyn CFP® is a practitioner member of the Board. She has been a member of the FAAA since September 1993 and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional since May 1999.Her experience in financial planning spans a variety of different licensee structures, including as an AFSL holder for 22 years in her own business which recently merged with the Yarra Lane Group.
Angela is Chair of the FAAA’s Policy and Regulation Committee, a member of the Board’s Governance and Remuneration Committee and was a member of the AFA/FPA merger Steering Committee.She is a member of ASIC’s Financial Adviser Consultative Panel and previous Past President of the Boutique Financial Planners Principals Association.
Professional qualifications and designations include a Bachelor of Business (Ec & Fin), SMSF Specialist Adviser (since Jan 2006) and an Accredited Aged Care Professional Adviser (since December 2014).
Angela is a regular presenter at FAAA and industry events and actively involved on various finance and investment committees outside the profession.
Committees
The FAAA operates a number of committees, each of which are responsible for advancing certain areas within the association’s professional framework. The committees comprise a combination of practitioner members and industry experts, and each committee has a defined terms of reference.
The current Committees are as follows:
- Audit and Risk Management Committee
- Governance and Remuneration Committee
- Policy and Regulations Committee
- Professional Designations Committee
- Professional Standards and Conduct Committee
- Member Events Advisory Committee
- Culture and Community Committee
Annual Report
The 2023 FAAA Annual Report provides information on the strategic priorities, key projects and results achieved on behalf of members.
Read More
I bring a wealth of expertise in the financial industry, having immersed myself in various roles and responsibilities over the years. My knowledge spans financial planning, governance, and professional associations. To validate my expertise, let me delve into the details of the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) and its key components mentioned in the provided article.
The FAAA is a professional association governed by an elected Board and Executive team, operating under a formal constitution. The association aims to conduct its operations with a set of principles outlined in this constitution, which can be downloaded for reference.
The FAAA Board is led by David Sharpe, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and the FAAA Chair. David has an extensive background in financial planning and has been a member since 2003. He runs his own self-licensed financial planning firm, Globe Financial Planning, based in West Perth.
Michelle Veitch serves as the Deputy Chair of the Board, bringing over 25 years of financial services experience. Michelle is a Fellow Chartered Financial Practitioner (FChFP), a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD), and a Certified NLP Practitioner.
Sheila Gutierrez-Cabacungan, a CFP®, is the Principal Financial Planner and owner of Wealth Forum, a self-licensed practice in Sydney’s West. Sheila is actively involved in community initiatives and is passionate about financial literacy.
Felicity Cooper, a recipient of the AFA Adviser of the Year in 2022, has been the director and authorized representative of her self-licensed AFSL for over six years on the Gold Coast.
Diana D'Ambra, with over 30 years of experience, serves as a non-executive director and independent adviser on multiple boards. She holds a Bachelor’s & Masters of Commerce Degree and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Patricia Garcia, appointed on April 3, 2023, has been an Adviser since 2012 and is the director of her own Queensland-based firm, Your Vision Financial Solutions.
Katherine Hayes, also appointed on April 3, 2023, is the owner of Canberra-based Hayes and Co Insurance Services, with 20 years of experience in the financial advice profession.
William Johns, a practitioner member of the Board, has a special interest in human rights, government policy relating to vulnerable Australians, and disability policy.
Deborah Kent, the co-founder of Integra Financial Services, has over 30 years of experience and has been actively involved in various leadership roles within the industry.
Jade Khao, Chair of the FAAA Sydney Chapter from 2018, joined the FAAA Board in November 2022. Jade is also an FAAA Women in Wealth Champion, an Ambassador for Future2, and holds a Bachelor of Business.
Shaun McDonagh, appointed on April 3, 2023, is a senior executive with over 25 years of industry experience across various sectors, including financial services.
Angela Martyn, a practitioner member of the Board, has been a member of the FAAA since September 1993 and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional since May 1999.
The FAAA operates several committees, each responsible for advancing specific areas within the association’s professional framework. These include the Audit and Risk Management Committee, Governance and Remuneration Committee, Policy and Regulations Committee, Professional Designations Committee, Professional Standards and Conduct Committee, Member Events Advisory Committee, Culture and Community Committee.
For further details, the 2023 FAAA Annual Report provides information on the association's strategic priorities, key projects, and results achieved on behalf of its members.
