Five financial planners have been named in a shortlist of finalists for the Association of Financial Advisers' (AFA) 2012 Rising Star of the Year award.
The finalists are: Knightcorp Life Insurance & Wealth Management adviser Angus Gallagher; Forbes Financial Planning adviser Cameron Forbes; Financial Design for Life adviser Matt Hale; Suggars & Associates adviser Meike Suggars; and RI Advice adviser Scott Mitton.
Of the five finalists, four are from Victoria and one is from Western Australia.
The AFA Rising Star of the Year award, now in its seventh year, recognised the best new advisers who provided quality, holistic advice; demonstrated a commitment to education; and made a valuable contribution to their industry and to their community, the AFA said in a statement.
"The award continues to uncover great talent across Australia. The commitment and capability of this year's finalists demonstrate that the future of the profession is in good hands," AFA chief executive Richard Klipin said.
The overall winner of the award will be chosen by the award's judging panel.
The panel is made up of Klipin, Business Health principal Terry Bell, OnePath head of retail product marketing and reinsurance Gerard Kerr, OnePath national key account manager Daniel Waller, and former AFA rising star winners Esther Althanus (2005) and Andrew Shakespeare (2010).
The winner of the award will be announced at the AFA national conference this month on the Gold Coast.
