As Delma Newton CFP® and Michelle Tate-Lovery CFP® prepare to step down from the FPA Board, they reflect on their time as Board directors.

After two terms on the FPA Board, Delma Newton CFP^® FFPA is stepping down, having chalked up a number of highlights during her six years.

A definite highlight for Delma was working on the FPA Professionals Congress for three years (2015-2017) as Congress Chair.

“I enjoyed putting my stamp on Congress. Working with a highly motivated team, helping them pull together something as massive as Congress, was incredibly rewarding,” she says. “It was also satisfying to help raise the education standards, by lifting the ethics and critical thinking component of Congress.”

More recently, in her capacity as Chair of the Regional Chapter Committee, Delma says it has been a highlight to work closely with the Chapter Chairs, seeing firsthand the wonderful things they are doing within their communities.

“In this capacity, I was able to listen to members and support them by channeling information up and down the line from the Board and management of the FPA to the Chapters. In 2019, the Chapters universally conveyed the distress practitioners were feeling, which allowed the FPA to respond quickly by implementing FPA Wellbeing. It was wonderful to support members with their emotional and mental wellbeing.”

Delma says she steps down with no unfinished business. She has been pleased to witness the closer engagement the profession has had with Government and the regulators, as well as the improvement in two issues close to her heart – encouraging more women to join the profession and for planners to share their good news stories.

She adds it has been a privilege to serve members and the profession during her time on the Board. As a parting comment to FPA members, she says it’s important for all practitioners to work together to move the profession forward. “Know that what you are doing is making a real difference in the lives of your clients, so be proud of the profession you belong to.”

Commenting on Delma’s departure, FPA Chair Marisa Broome CFP^® recalls joining the FPA Board with Delma in November 2014. “Delma’s dedication with initially putting together the FPA Congress and then moving to work with all the Chapter Chairs and the Regional Chapter Chair Committee has ensured the Board has always been kept in touch with member needs and their feedback – both good and bad!

“Delma has also served on the Audit and Risk Committee, which is key to ensuring the FPA is able to operate appropriately and prudently, the Steering Committee for Code Monitoring Australia and the recent CFP^® Advertising Advisory Group. I sincerely thank Delma for her commitment and contribution,” says Marisa.

Also stepping down from the Board after a three year term is Michelle Tate-Lovery CFP^®. Elected to the Board in November 2017, Michelle has Chaired the Congress Committee for the past three years, including this year’s hugely successful Virtual Congress.

“In three short years, there has been some seismic shifts to navigate, including reviewing all aspects of the FASEA rollout to members, addressing the fallout from the Royal Commission, rebuilding trust with consumers and supporting practitioners to manage the layers of compliance, as we increased professional standards,” Michelle says.

“In the last year or so, it has been immensely stimulating being involved with shaping the profession through the FPA Strategic Priorities 2025 (MAC – Members, Advocacy, Consumers) and the FPA’s Policy Platform – Affordable Advice, Sustainable Profession.”

And like Delma, Michelle has been involved with the FPA’s move to address the under-representation of women in the profession.

“For diversity of perspective, we need to see more women join the profession and develop long-term careers. Through the FPA’s Women in Financial Planning initiative, we are moving towards bridging the gender imbalance.”

In her role as Congress Chair, Michelle has enjoyed curating relevant and timely content that has  broadened perspectives and stimulated new ways of thinking. While she was responsible for delivering two physical Congress events, she was delighted that the FPA was able to adapt quickly to the COVID-19 environment by delivering a virtual Congress this year, spread over four months.

“It has been my great honour to have served members, during what has been a significant period in financial planning. It’s been incredibly exhilarating, personally rewarding and quite intense. The FPA, led by Dante De Gori CFP^®, Chaired by Marisa Broome CFP^® and supported by my fellow Board Directors and the wider FPA team, is a powerhouse of purpose and passion,” Michelle says.

In her responsibilities with the Board, including her role as Chair of the Congress Committee, Marisa says Michelle brought with her a level of enthusiasm that was contagious, a ‘think outside the box’ range of solutions, and has helped drive the FPA to become more agile in how it responds to members’ needs.

“Her roadmap for ongoing learning that we are introducing for 2021, will be a lasting legacy,” says Marisa. “I have learned so much from Michelle and have loved working with her, especially this year as she led the creation of the FPA [Virtual] Congress, including the groundbreaking keynote. I know her support of the FPA will continue long after her term on the Board finishes.”