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The Professional Advice community are invited for a Special Interest Group Networking Event on Wednesday 22 October 2025 to share insights on the future of client service and how it aligns with Conduct of Financial Institutions (CoFI).
The way financial advice is delivered continues to develop through shifting client expectations, regulatory changes, and advances in technology. This two-hour Special Interest Group, hosted by the FSC Professional Advice Committee, will explore how advice practices can adapt to meet these challenges while continuing to deliver high-quality outcomes for clients.
Date and time: Wednesday 22 October 2025, 10.30am - 12.30pm
Venue: Mercer Auckland, Level 11, PwC Tower, 15 Customs Street West,
Auckland 1010
Discussion will focus on the changing role of client reviews, from traditional compliance checkpoints to strategic conversations that build trust, improve engagement, and add long-term value.
Attendees will gain practical perspectives on:
- How client expectations of advice and service are shifting in today’s environment.
- Redesigning the review process to create more meaningful client experiences.
- Insights into service delivery models that balance personal connection, efficiency, and innovation.
- Opportunities to strengthen relationships, deliver tailored outcomes, and grow sustainable advice businesses.
This interactive event is designed to share best practices and provide tangible for attendees navigating the changes in professional advice.
Speakers:
Steven Burgess (Facilitator)
Chief Executive Officer, Compliance Refinery and Co-Chair, FSC Professional Advice Committee
Steven is a longstanding compliance professional with upstanding integrity. He has been employed at the FMA and the Canadian Securities Regulator, IIROC. He has four years’ experience working in areas related to FAA at a large NZ Financial Services Company. Furthermore, he has 7 years’ experience working in both big banks and boutique firms in Canada.
Through his career he has had oversight of over more than 100 Adviser Businesses. He has developed a deep appreciation for the adviser/client relationship, while maintaining focus on client outcomes. His skillset brings both a top-down and bottom-up approach, which allows him to navigate senior level personnel and regulators, while fully understanding the adviser/client interaction.
Claire Sutton
Executive Manager - Life Portfolio & New Business, Asteron Life
Claire has broad leadership and governance experience across life and general insurance, wealth management, and the not-for-profit sector in New Zealand. She is passionate about customer experience and service design.
In her current role, she is responsible for the performance of Asteron Life’s portfolio, including product development, pricing, underwriting, and customer onboarding. Her previous roles span customer insights, culture, operations, advocacy, change leadership, HR, and communications, both in New Zealand and overseas.
Pierre Schroeder
Managing Director & Principal Adviser, Thrive
Pierre leads a team of advisers who are united by a commitment to delivering service grounded in strong core values. He believes that advice should always be client-first, honest, and relationship-driven, ensuring people feel supported through every stage of life.
The team combines this values-based approach with technology-driven solutions, making advice more accessible, transparent, and responsive to evolving client expectations. Pierre’s focus is on creating an environment where clients thrive - in both certainty and uncertainty - by blending genuine care with innovative tools that enhance the client experience.
Romil Ghelani
Head of Financial Advice, Financial Markets Authority
Romil has been with the FMA for seven years, focusing on overseeing the implementation of FSLAA and ongoing monitoring of Financial Advice regulations in New Zealand. He has over a decade of experience across compliance, regulation, risk management and financial services both in Canada and New Zealand, originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
He was significantly involved in the Banking and Life insurance Conduct and Culture Reviews, and FMA Bank incentive structures thematic and led the development of the FAP monitoring insights report and FAP Regulatory Returns.