Plenary 2: Tuesday 24 November 2026 | 4:00pm - 5:15pm

EXPLORE THE PROFESSION

FAAA Leadership Team Townhall

With David Sharpe CFP®, Michelle Veitch CFP®, Sarah Abood, Phil Anderson & Andrea Forbes

Session Overview

Go behind the headlines and inside the conversations shaping the future of financial advice.

In this candid and timely discussion, FAAA leaders share the latest developments in policy, regulation and advocacy, along with insights from their engagement with government, regulators and industry stakeholders. Discover what’s being advocated for on behalf of advisers, what challenges lie ahead, and where the opportunities are emerging. This is your chance to hear directly from the people influencing the profession’s future—and contribute to the conversation about what comes next.

FAAA Member Registration

Non Member Registration

Meet your speakers

David Sharpe CFP®

Chair, FAAA

David is Chair of the FAAA Board and has been a financial planner and FAAA member since 2003. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, has completed a Diploma in Financial Planning and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Distinction) from Curtin University. David runs his own self-licensed financial planning firm, Globe Financial Planning, based in West Perth. In 2016 he was shortlisted for the FAAA CFP® Professional of the Year Award.

Prior to being elected onto the board David spent four years on the WA FAAA Chapter, including two years as Chapter Chair. David can often be found in various media roles (TV, radio and print) advocating strongly for the value of advice.

David chairs the Governance and Remuneration Committee, and is a member of the Board Finance, Risk and Audit Committee.

Michelle Veitch CFP®

Chair-elect, FAAA

Michelle has been appointed as chair-elect at the Financial Advice Association Australia and will become chair of the FAAA Board following the 2026 Annual General Meeting in November 2026. Michelle has over 25 years financial services experience as a Senior Financial Adviser and is the founding principal and Managing Director of her South Australian based practice, Mybluesky.

Michelle is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Fellow Chartered Financial Practitioner (FChFP), Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD) and Certified NLP Practitioner (Bus. Comms).

Michelle is a member of the Board Finance, Risk and Audit Committee of the FAAA.

Sarah Abood

CEO, FAAA

Sarah has over 25 years’ experience working in the financial services industry and she is a passionate advocate for financial planning.

Sarah has a deep understanding of the financial planning profession, and the demands of running a financial planning practice. This was gained from her nine years as CEO of Profile Financial Services, a privately-owned and self-licensed financial planning firm and FPA Professional Practice.

Prior to commencing as FAAA CEO, Sarah held the position of chief operating officer at HOPE Housing Funds Management. She has also worked in senior change and transformation, and marketing roles for some of Australia’s leading financial institutions. Sarah holds a BA from the University of Sydney, an MBA from Macquarie University (MGSM) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Phil Anderson

General Manager, Policy, Advocacy & Standards, FAAA

Phil Anderson is the General Manager Policy, Advocacy & Standards of the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA). Phil had spent over 10 years at the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA), including most recently as CEO before the successful vote to merge with the Financial Planning Association (FPA).

e has previously worked for Netwealth as General Manager Governance and Advice, and Colonial First State, where he was the Head of Risk Management & Compliance for the CFS Advice business. Phil has been in the financial services industry for over 25 years, having also worked with AMP, MLC and Perpetual.

Phil has been responsible for policy, including the Quality of Advice Review, and the implementation of the requirements of the Professional Standards legislation and the Royal Commission Recommendations. Phil has previously been integrally involved in the FoFA, TASA,

Education/Professional Standards and the Life Insurance Framework debates including driving the development of submissions to FASEA, Treasury, ASIC, the Tax Practitioners Board and Parliamentary Committees. Phil is a CPA and has a Bachelor and Masters of Commerce along with the DFP and ADFP.

Andrea Forbes

Policy & Advocacy Consultant, FAAA

Andrea Forbes is Principal of Werri Consulting and a senior executive with extensive leadership experience across government, financial services and advocacy. A former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Federal Treasurer, she has held executive roles with Westpac and Aware Super and is recognised for her expertise in public policy, regulation, stakeholder engagement and strategic reform.

The Financial Advice Association Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters, and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.

Disclaimer: By registering for the 2026 FAAA Congress, delegates grant permission to the Financial Advice Association of Australia Limited (FAAA), its agents and others working under its authority to take and to have full and free use of video/photographs containing their image/likeness. It is understood that the FAAA may use these images for promotion, news, research, online, multimedia and/or educational purposes. Delegates agree that they are not entitled to remuneration, residuals, royalties or any other payment from the FAAA in respect of their image/likeness or its use. Attendees will be required to sign a media release prior to any interviews that may be conducted.

CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and CFP logo mark are certification marks owned outside the U.S. by the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB). The Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) is the marks licensing authority for the CFP marks in Australia, through agreement with FPSB.