Professional advice highlights from the FSC Conference 2023

Our Building Consumer Confidence Conference included special breakout sessions focusing on Professional Advice, alongside the main plenary sessions.

These breakout sessions were designed to bring robust discussion and specialised knowledge to the issues affecting New Zealand's financial advice community.

15th August - MEMBER ONLY MASTERCLASS

Building professionalism in financial advice

This practical workshop looked at the key demographics in NZ, their need for advice and the key areas that the advice offering needs to be revolutionised to serve individual Kiwis needs.

Through exploring what has worked well here and overseas we identified where there are opportunities for New Zealand to build industry standards and develop professionalism across the advice ecosystem.  

SPEAKERS:

• Trisha Edmonds (Facilitator) - Head of Advisory Distribution Funds, ANZ
• Kari Scrimshaw - Chief Executive, Ringa Hora
• Rasmika Maharaj - Investment and Financial Adviser, Craigs Investment Partners
• Jeanette Kreft - Managing Director, The Compliance Company
• David Whyte - Chairman, Lifetime Group
• Blake Briggs - CEO, FSC Australia

16th August 

LUNCH

The role of FAPs in building consumer confidence in the professional advice sector

A discussion of what we mean by consumer confidence, what issues consumers are encountering as they engage with professional advisers, the special role of FAPs of all sizes in setting standard for professional advice across the sector, reasonable basis for advice suitability, advice communication and accessibility issues, and the challenges of finding advisers that understand my cultural needs, language, and identification. 

SPEAKERS: 

• Michael Hewes - Director of Deposit taking, Insurance & Advice, FMA
• Susan Taylor - CEO, FSCL
• Hannah McQueen - Author & Founding Director, AdviceFirst / Enable.me
• Ryan Edwards - Managing Director, The Adviser Platform
• Trecia Brown - Head of Customer Outcomes, New Zealand Financial Services Group

16th August 

Breakout session 

Driving financial services recruitment: How can we meet Kiwis' needs?

Research shows that just 20% of New Zealanders receive advice, but when they do, they are more confident and have more financial wellbeing. But how do we attract diverse talent into the sector and what pathways are there to enter the profession and move into becoming a financial adviser? This session debated the routes into advice and how businesses reliant on advisers can develop the right pathways to attract talent.

SPEAKERS: