Dieters to replace Greiner as FPA chair

Former Sydney City Councillor Kathryn Greiner will step down as chair of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) after one year at the top of the industry body.

Corrina Dieters, a director of the association and principal of boutique planning firm HLB Mann Judd Financial Services, has been elected by the FPA board to take over when Greiner officially steps down at the industry body’s annual general meeting in November.

Sarah Brennan, another FPA board member who was instrumental in formulating the association’s new codes of conduct on soft dollar payments and conflicts of interest, has been elected deputy chair.

The high-profile Greiner took over as chair of the FPA from AMP’s Steve Helmich last year at a time when the financial planning industry was facing a growing swell of criticism from regulators and consumer groups over conflicts of interests.

“It has been a time of momentous change and great significance to the development of both financial planning as a whole and for the association,” Greiner said in a statement today.

"We have reaffirmed the FPA's position as the peak professional association and made progress in areas that are important to me personally - most notably a new initiative to raise awareness among Australians of the value of financial planning.

"While we clearly have more challenges ahead, I can hand over confident in the knowledge that the FPA is set on the right strategic path.”

Greiner, the wife of former NSW Premier Nick Greiner, will also step down from the FPA board, where she has been a director for two years.

Four FPA board positions - two for practitioner members and two for principal members - are also up for re-election, although one board seat has already been taken by MLC’s Matt Lawler, who was the only nominee for the position representing principal members with more than 50 authorised representatives.

Incumbents Andrew Heaven, Julie-Anne Berry and Dominic Alafaci have all decided to stand again. However, Genesys Wealth Adviser’ Ray Miles has decided not to contest the ballot.

Along with Alafaci, Paul Gerrard and Matthew Rowe have been nominated for the one board position representing principal members with less than 50 current authorised representatives.

On top of Berry and Heaven, seven other advisers have put their hands up for the for the two practitioner positions. They are: Bruce Beakey, Peter O'Toole, Surendra Pather, Bronwyn Speed, Magdy Stephan, Philip Thompson, and Lewis Vaughan.