Financial Planner of the Year 2010 runner up: Catherine Wong Doo

A strong focus on partnership and developing client relationships saw Catherine Wong Doo score the runner up prize in this year's award, writes Angela Faherty.

Runner up Catherine Wong Doo says her decision to become a financial planner was based on her passion for helping people clarify their personal and financial goals and her strong commitment to helping clients achieve these goals.

The judges were impressed by Wong Doo’s focus on leadership and her dedication to forging partnerships. The fulfilment she gains from helping clients achieve what is important to them was also clearly evident in her submission.

“Through the years I have found my role has expanded into a real partnership role,” she says. “I support my clients through key life events, provide a listening ear for their concerns, offer a sounding board for decisions and help them gain confidence in their choices. It is a truly rewarding partnership.”

As a senior wealth adviser at NAB Private Wealth Advisory, Wong Doo’s primary responsibility is to deliver wealth advice solutions to clients, and despite the recent tough market conditions, Wong Doo’s belief in the industry has not waned.

In fact, she says the current economic climate is the perfect stimulant for greater leadership and support for clients.

“Through recent challenging markets, it has been even more crucial to lead, support and advise my clients as many redefine what is important to them and their families.

"The trust and respect earnt over the years with my clients allow for deep, far reaching and frank discussions to ensure they are informed and feel in control of their financial future,” she says.

Over the past 10 years, Wong Doo has built up a practice in NAB Private Wealth that has enabled her to focus on developing relationships and applying strategic thinking.

She manages a team of five and aims to deliver an ongoing service to existing fee-paying clients and grow the business through new client acquisition.

“My vision was to combine ‘service above self’, focusing on the delivery of high value services combined with education, managing change and to improve people’s lives through personal, tailored service,” she says.

Wong Doo says some of her career highlights have been based on client experiences and the positive impact she has had on their lives.

She outlines a case where a client lost her husband suddenly and had her world turned upside down.

She says her role developed into becoming a “sounding board, comforter, listener, adviser, life planner and educator. I believe I provided her with the confidence to make her own decisions, the skills to organise her circumstances and empowered her to take control,” she says.

For Wong Doo, the highlights of her career have been the development and longevity of team members and building her practice to a sustainable and profitable fee based business.

She is also a member of the NAB Private Wealth Advisory Board, which provides direction on the future shape of the private wealth business in NAB. But it is her commitment to education that drives her.

“I believe the future of our industry can only be assured through the development of talent.

"As a senior financial planner, I have a responsibility to educate and mentor up and coming advisers, paraplanners and client service managers. I firmly believe if we listen and understand our clients’ goals, we have a greater ability to provide relevant quality advice throughout their financial journey,” she says.