Julie Berry has spoken out against suggestions the FPA's new chief is an inappropriate hire with little experience in financial planning.
"The [FPA] board is very confident that we've picked the right person to lead the FPA," association chair and Berry Financial Services principal Julie Berry said.
"Mark Rantall has extensive experience in working with financial planners and working with small practitioners, which he has done for his whole career.
"He established a small planning practice in a credit union, and he worked with Godfrey Pembroke with the financial planners. He is educated and trained as a CFP (certified financial planner) professional."
Berry's comments come in response to industry murmurs that Rantall's hire was made to satisfy the association's institutional members.
"The fact that he has had some institutional work over the last little while really means he has an understanding of both sides of the profession," she said.
"But certainly he is first and foremost concerned with the individual financial planning practitioner.
"He is extremely passionate about the value of advice, he is extremely passionate about ensuring that financial planners get a fair go with some of the changes that are looking to come in the future, but at the same time he is very determined that we are professional and we behave that way."
Rantall succeeds Jo-Anne Bloch, who starts as Mercer's member services and advice leader this month.
He resigned from his position as the National Australia Bank Academy's dean of advice recently and was Godfrey Pembroke's managing director from 2003 to 2008.
