The FPA has hired former Heraud Harrison financial planner Margaret Klova to strengthen its Certified Financial Planner (CFP) program.
Klova has joined the FPA as CFP education manager after five years as a senior planner with the Melbourne independent practice.
Klova achieved CFP status - the highest professional designation available to Australian planners - in 2004.
Klova was previously a member of the FPA's CFP certification committee.
It is the first time a planner with CFP status has been in the job and is a sign that the association wants to benefit from Klova's industry experience and expertise.
"Margaret brings a practitioner perspective to the education program which will sharpen the already rigorous program for CFP certification," FPA certification manager Kerry Curtin said.
"While there is no doubt graduates of the program already represent the standard for the top tier of financial planners in Australia, Margaret has been through the process and is well aware of its strengths and where there are opportunities for development."
She replaces Anne-Marie McNally who left the job recently to pursue other interests.
The FPA's 2007 annual conference, being held in Sydney in November, is targeted at CFPs.
The association is planning to launch a marketing campaign promoting the designation to planners.
The FPA has released results for CFP candidates in the final assessment unit of the CFP program that show close to 40 per cent of candidates failed to make the grade.
Of 182 candidates, 61.5 per cent passed and achieved CFP certification.
"Certification is not easy and certainly no rubber stamp," Curtin said.
There were 205 candidates enrolled in the certification assessment unit in semester 1 and around 800 students enrolled in the four education units.
