The FPA’s newly-appointed chief executive Mark Rantall has flagged that he is committed to building a strong dialogue between members and government as issues such as trust and transparency plague the financial planning industry.
Rantall said he wanted to work closely with the FPA board and its members to deliver a “strong and robust” profession, and that the body remained the pre-eminent professional association for planners.
“There have been significant changes in the industry and I am committed to ensuring the FPA continues to lead from the front and set the agenda,” he said.
“The real issues moving forward centre around maintaining and building professionalism, trust and transparency and I am keen to continue to deal with these issues and build a strong dialogue between members and government.”
Dealing with issues coming out of a number of inquiries including Cooper and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services will be a challenge, Rantall warned.
“It is important to ensure that the positive aspects of those inquiries are implemented smoothly and the negative aspects are mitigated,” he said.
He succeeds Jo-Anne Bloch, who starts as Mercer’s member services and advice leader this month.
Rantall resigned from his position as the National Australia Bank Academy’s dean of advice recently and was Godfrey Pembroke’s managing director from 2003 to 2008.
He joins the roughly 12,000 FPA members as the Minister for Superannuation Chris Bowen moves to ban commissions and expand ASIC’s powers through the Future of Financial Advice reforms. The FPA is also in merger talks with the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA).
“Mark has joined the FPA at a crucial time for the profession,” FPA chair Julie Berry said.
“We have just seen one of the largest industry shake-ups in recent years in the form of the Future of Financial Advice reforms, and we are pleased to have someone of his immense experience to assist the board, executive and members in leading the way.”
Merger talks between the AFA and FPA are continuing, albeit slowly, AFA chief executive Richard Klipin said in April.
“The AFA, FPA merger conversation is continuing slowly,” he said.
“Obviously, the FPA is in the process of appointing a new CEO and I think certainly at an AFA board level we’re committed to having the discussion.”
Rantall will take over from acting chief executive Deen Sanders – who was asked not to run for the position of FPA chief executive – from July.
