Wealth Enhancers chief executive Finn Kelly was a finalist in the Money Management Young Achiever of the Year category last year and has gone one step better in 2012.
At just 27 years of age, Kelly has an extensive resume that seems incongruous with his age – particularly when you take into account the fact that he spent seven years as an army officer with the Australian Defence Force.
A member of the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA), Kelly was nominated for the AFA’s Rising Star Award back in 2010 and was a national finalist in that award in 2011. Last year also saw Kelly win the AFA’s Excellence in Education Award at both state level (for Victoria) and nationally.
Kelly says he is a firm believer in education and has a Bachelor of Science majoring in maths and physics, a Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning), a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary), a Diploma of Government and a Diploma of Management.
When hiring financial advisers for the business, Kelly prefers degree qualified candidates because he believes it shows a commitment to the journey of personal development and improvement that advisers need to help impart to their clients. He pushes his team to engage in ongoing formal education and says the current minimum educational requirements for financial planners are inadequate.
Kelly heads up the portfolio management arm of the Wealth Enhancers business and manages the investment portfolios of over 40 private clients.
The Synchron-aligned firm has a focus on high income and high net worth clients, with a particular focus on AFL players.
Kelly attributes his time in the defence force with building his leadership and business skills.
Recently, Kelly has led a push to expand the Wealth Enhancers business in Sydney where it opened an additional office earlier this year – a process that included hiring a number of new staff and overseeing a move into new premises – and hopes to expand the business further in the future.
This year’s runner up in the Young Achiever category is Morningstar co-head of fund research Tom Whitelaw, who at 29 has a strong history as an investment analyst working in the UK for financial planning groups and insurance giant Aviva.
He joined Morningstar in the UK in 2007 prior to moving to Australia and leading large and small cap equities review before taking on his current role earlier this year, remaining lead analyst for Morningstar’s Australian coverage.
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