Fourth female planner takes out Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award


The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) has today announced Claire McGregor of Elston Partners as the winner of the fifth Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award.

Ms McGregor, who has been advising for four years, received the accolade for being the highest achieving student in last semester’s CFP® Certification Program.

Reflecting on her achievement, McGregor said: “The calibre of men and women completing the CFP® Certification Program is extremely high, and the fact that I’m one of the few who have been honoured with this award is a huge achievement. I would like to thank the FPA for this and for their constant support throughout the course.”

As the fourth woman to receive the prestigious award, Ms McGregor cites the first lady of financial planning as a source of inspiration: “It is becoming more and more common for women to get involved in financial planning, and Gwen Fletcher is a role model who we can all aspire to. Her enduring commitment to improving the financial planning profession has helped us get to where we are today.”

“I feel a real sense of pride to have received this award as a woman in the financial planning industry. There are an equal number of women out there who are in need of financial advice, and I think we can bring a lot to the financial planning relationship.”

Dante De Gori CFP®, CEO of the FPA, congratulated Ms McGregor on behalf of the FPA.

“I would like to congratulate Claire on her achievement and to formally recognise her ongoing commitment to Gwen’s legacy of improving the financial planning profession through education and higher professional standards.

“Claire’s unwavering commitment to the CFP® Certification Program and her dedication to providing quality financial advice exemplifies the professionalism and excellence that we encourage all planners to strive towards.

“Juggling her studies with work and family life, Claire was determined to complete the program, no matter what it took.”

Ms McGregor concluded by saying that the CFP® designation is something that Elston really values. “It shows a commitment to building trusted relationships with clients and to providing the highest quality financial advice possible. It did involve some sacrifice, but it was absolutely worth it.”

The CFP® designation remains the only financial planning designation that is recognised globally, ensuring financial planners adhere to world class professional and ethical standards.

The next Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award winner will be announced in November at the 2016 FPA Professionals Congress in Perth. The award, which is funded by the FPA and valued at $1,000, is awarded to the CFP® certification student who achieves the highest mark in all three required assessments each semester.

Enrolments for Semester two of the CFP® Certification Program close on Wednesday 6 July.