Camilla Gribble, Ryan Smuts and Tim Fairbrother win the inaugural Financial Advice New Zealand Excellence in Advice Awards.
Thought leadership, service excellence, innovation, and services to the advice profession – the four essential qualities that the judges of the Financial Advice New Zealand Excellence in Advice Awards sought when assessing entries to the inaugural awards announced at the National Advisers Conference Gala Dinner, on Thursday 27 September.
On the judging panel, Trevor Slater commented that the quality of award nominees was a credit to the advice profession. “It certainly was not an easy decision; the quality of entries was very high, but our three winners stood out and absolutely deserve this accolade.”
Judged by Trevor Slater, Cecilia Farrow and Lyn McMorran, Financial Advice New Zealand is extremely pleased to congratulate Camilla, Ryan and Tim on winning the inaugural Excellence in Advice Awards.
Camilla Gribble, IKONIK KiwiSaver & Insurance Specialists
While Camilla’s referees – of which there were many – spoke of her client-centric approach to financial advice, the quality of that advice and her involvement in industry leadership – what impressed the judges the most was Camilla’s outstanding work in providing financial literacy education programmes to the lower socio-economic community in her area.
“Camilla innately understands the important role of financial knowledge in helping Kiwis make good decisions and achieve what they aspire to. Her work in the community is something to be very proud of; she is a great ambassador for advice and sharing knowledge for the benefit of Kiwis,” says Cecilia Farrow.
Ryan Smuts, Kris Pedersen Mortgages
Relatively new to mortgage advice, Ryan impressed the judges with his ability to ‘think outside the box’ to help his clients achieve their goals and his passion in continuing to look after clients well after securing a home loan for them.
“Ryan really understands the relationship nature of advice and has implemented a range of ways that he can be there for his clients on an ongoing basis. His passion for how technology can support an exemplary experience for his clients as well as support his new business as it grows is impressive,” says Lyn McMorran.
Tim Fairbrother, RIVAL Wealth
Tim has built his business into a team of 19 staff and 2,800 clients and has a clear passion for putting his clients first. The judges were impressed by Tim’s work in giving back to the financial advice community, including: writing advice articles; attending Government ‘round table’ meetings; conducting information presentations and more.
“Tim devotes a considerable amount of time to industry discussion and sharing valuable knowledge with his community. He is passionate about creating a thriving advice profession and helping New Zealanders increase their financial knowledge. He exhibits great leadership and we are very pleased to acknowledge his contribution to advice and to his community,” says Trevor Slater.
The Financial Advice New Zealand Excellence in Advice Awards were judged by:
Trevor Slater, a highly-experienced dispute resolution practitioner specialising in the financial sector and Scheme Director at Financial Dispute Resolution Service;
Cecilia Farrow CLU, who has an in-depth knowledge of advice processes and is a developer and facilitator of training programmes in the life insurance sector; and
Lyn McMorran CFP, Executive Director of the Financial Services Federation and advocate of the need for the provision of responsible lending advice.
Financial Advice New Zealand Excellence in Advice Awards Criteria:
In judging the awards, the three panelists looked for evidence that demonstrates the entrant has met the following four criteria:
- Thought leadership – A Member who is recognized as someone who considers current practices with a view to developing a vision for the future.
- Service excellence – A Member who consistently meets and exceeds client expectations.
- Innovation – A Member who applies better solutions for client requirements, identifies unarticulated needs for new or existing clients with the provision of more effective products, processes, services, technologies or business models.
- Services to the advice profession – A Member who is known for their contribution to the financial advice sector.