The FAAA recognised the hard work of a number of members when presenting them with FAAA Fellow and FAAA Distinguished Service Awards (DSA) during the 2025 FAAA Roadshow series.
FAAA Fellow Award
A fellow award is made to outstanding financial planning practitioners who have made a selfless contribution to the profession and the community, have demonstrated leadership and commanded the respect of peers as an exemplary role model.
Dave Slovinec
Financial Adviser, Pride Advice, Adelaide
Congratulations to Dave Slovenic, who has been made a fellow in 2025. Dave has been a dedicated member on committees since 2009, including his time as the South Australia Director for the AFA between 2012 - 2017 where he fostered a vibrant AFA community, and as the AFA National Treasurer between 2017 - 2019. Many of our members have donated to causes because of Dave's - in the words of the nomination for this award - ' Dave's unique style of charitable harassment!’ His time on the AFA Foundation board, Super Loong Lunch board, and now the Future2 Foundation board, shows his continued dedication to philanthropic pursuits.
FAAA Distinguished Service Award
The DSA recognises the exceptional contribution of volunteers to the work of the FAAA and the common good of the profession, through voluntary service to an FAAA community, committee or taskforce.
“Without the tireless work of those members who willingly volunteer so much of their time, energy and expertise it would be impossible for the FAAA to deliver the broad scope and high-quality services we do, especially at a local level,” said FAAA CEO Sarah Abood.
“The hardworking individuals we recognise in 2025 have been members of a range of FAAA committees, have worked tirelessly to deliver events locally, collaborated with the FAAA team on submissions to government, helped to translate legislation and campaigned on behalf of members for greater support of our profession.
“Presenting these awards during the FAAA Roadshow series was a small way to say thank you and express our gratitude for their significant contributions in front of their peers.”
The new recipients of the DSA will join 150 previous recipients, many of whom are still contributing to the FAAA and the wider advice community.
John McCormack
Responsible Manager & Head of Compliance, Maximise Funds Management, Melbourne
John has been a key contributor to the Policy and Regulations Committee over the last four years. His expertise and background in a variety of roles (as a financial planner, practice manager, business owner and consultant) within the profession have enabled John to provide careful, considered and valuable input to the FAAA’s policy work. He has also volunteered on numerous working groups for advice documentation, super, PI insurance, AML/CTF and MIS and has also been active in providing feedback on submissions and FAAA policy initiatives. John was a member of the FAAA Policy and Regulations Committee (and FPA previously) between June 2020 and March 2024.
Marc Olynyk
Senior Lecturer Financial Planning & Superannuation, Deakin University, Melbourne
Marc generously gave his time and expertise for over 25 years to support and promote the professionalisation of financial advice in Australia. He was also on the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) Register of External Experts in Financial Planning and Financial Services, completing course reviews and accreditations, judging the 'University Student of the Year' awards, and co-authoring Australia's leading textbooks in financial planning.
Marc was a member of the Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) since it was established in 2011. He was FPEC Chair between 2019 and 2025, having only recently stepped down.
Marc has generously given his time and expertise for over 25 years to support and promote the professionalisation of financial advice in Australia.
Marc was a member of the Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) since it was established in 2011. He was the FPEC Chair between 2019 to 2025, having only recently stepped down.
He was also on the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Register of External Experts in Financial Planning and Financial Services, completing course reviews and accreditations, judging the 'University Student of the Year' awards, and co-authoring Australia's leading textbooks in financial planning.
He is a senior lecturer in financial planning and course director of financial planning in the Department of Accounting within Deakin University. He was an Authorised Representative for over 15 years and has more than 20 years’ experience as one of Australia's leading academics and educators in financial planning.
He was instrumental in the financial planning program at Deakin University (and previously La Trobe University) and has been a strong advocate of increasing professionalism and encouraging new entrants to enter financial advice for many years. Marc plays a key role in facilitating industry engagement and strengthening the ties between the university sector and industry.
Marc is also a fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand.
Marc has been a contact for FAAA and FASEA (now Treasury) for liaising with academics. He often summarises the education landscape at academic meetings for other academics who may not get the chance to liaise directly with FAAA or FASEA (now Treasury).
Tim Mackay CFP®
Principal and Head of Strategy, Quantum Financial Services Australia, Sydney
Tim has made an unprecedented contribution to the policy work of the FAAA since he joined the Policy & Regulations Committee in 2009. During his 16-year tenure Tim actively engaged in meetings and gave significant input to consultations, working groups and taskforces, including: Royal Commission into financial services, FOFA, conduct and best interest obligations, professional indemnity insurance, conflicted remuneration and the Quality of Advice Review to name just a few.
He has been a significant contributor to the policy work of the FAAA with a focus on and appreciation of the professionalisation and advancement of financial advice and financial advisers.
Tim always showed the policy team great courtesy and spent many hours discussing detailed technical aspects of policy matters as well as the potential implications for advice practices and clients. After 16 years’ uninterrupted service to the Policy & Regulations Committee, he stepped down earlier this year.
Clare Mackay CFP®
Principal Adviser, Quantum Financial Services Australia, Sydney
Claire was an outstanding contributor to the Professional Standards and Conduct Committee for eight years. She was also a speaker at previous Masterclass and Congress events and has written numerous articles for the FAAA. Claire served on the AFCA Board from 2018 to 2023.
Claire’s membership as a CFP professional dates back to 2007. She is a positive force for good, always advocating for the FAAA and for the profession, particularly on social media and remains extremely active in the profession.
Paul Garner CFP®
Senior Financial Adviser and CEO, Novo Wealth, Adelaide
In addition to his time on the SA State committee, Paul has been a member of the Policy & Regulations Committee for 10 years. During this time, he has consistently contributed to the development of policy positions on significant regulatory reforms impacting the financial advice community. He has volunteered for at least nine issue-specific working groups and provided feedback on numerous submissions and policy initiatives including the Royal Commission into Misconduct in Banking and Financial Services, MIS Review, Wholesale/retail client definitions, ASIC Industry Funding Levy, the Quality of Advice Review, as well as changes to AML/CTF, professional and education standards.
He has consistently volunteered and given his time to participate on working groups, even when the issue had no direct impact on his own business. He has always considered the bigger picture of the profession and ensured the FAAA policy team had a member’s view.
Paul has been active and highly reliable in providing feedback on submissions and FAAA policy initiatives and has been a great support to the FAAA policy team over many years.
Andrew Faber CFP®
Managing Director and Private Wealth Adviser, Faber Private Wealth, Gold Coast
Andrew has exemplified exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication during his tenure as a Gold Coast committee member from 2018, including as the Chapter chair from 2022 to 2024. His strategic vision and collaborative approach have profoundly enhanced the committee's impact, setting a high standard for excellence. Andrew was instrumental in initiating and delivering on the first ‘joint’ event between the FPA and AFA and has also represented the financial adviser community at Queensland regional liaison meetings with ASIC.
