AFA elects new president

Tasmanian based financial adviser Robin Yates has been elected the new national president of theAssociation of Financial Advisers(AFA).

Yates, who runs two financial planning offices in Tasmania under the Business Life Group banner, was the only nominee for the position when it was voted on at the association’s annual general meeting in Sydney today.

Yates will take over from Brisbane based Joe Nowak, who ends his two year tenure at the top of the association.

Nowak says he will continue to play a high level role at the association as past president, including in the association’s lobbying efforts with the Government and industry regulators.

Yates, previously the AFA’s Tasmanian director, says the association will focus much of its efforts in coming years on lifting its profile, particularly to a younger generation of financial advisers.

“We have some goals and targets to meet in areas such as public awareness. That is totally important to us over the next 12 to 18 months,” Yates says.

Yates will be joined by South Australian adviser Michael Murphy, who takes over from the New South Wales based Bernie Toohey as vice president of the association.

Other new members elected to the AFA board today include Roger Holt, who takes over from Matthew Sutton as NSW director of the association, Michael Taylor who becomes the association’s South Australian director, John Batchelor who takes on Yates’ duties as Tasmanian director and Robert Rols who was elected the association’s Queensland director.

Bill Haywood from Victoria and Wayne Clarkson from Western Australia were re-elected as the AFA’s directors in their respective states.