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Claire Mackay has won the Pro-Bono Award in Money Management/Super Review’s inaugural Women in Financial Services Awards 2013.
A principal certified financial planner at Quantum Financial Services Australia, Mackay has been commended for being one of the most professional, empathetic and articulate financial planners.
With three degrees and five professional designations under her belt, she is also amongst the most qualified and knowledgeable planners, according to her nomination letter.
She stands out for her willingness to contribute and give back to the profession. She regularly volunteers her time and expertise to the Australian Defence Force Consumer Council.
“I don’t know anyone who manages to volunteer as much time giving back to her community and profession as Claire does. Additionally, Claire is an exceptional financial planner for her clients,” her nomination letter said.
She supports female financial planners at all levels of seniority, both within and outside Quantum Financial, on all topics. She has inspired many female financial planners about what they can achieve and aim for.
Mackay flies to Enoggera army barracks twice a year to financially counsel returning soldiers from Iran, Afghanistan and other countries. She helped the Australian Defence Force with its annual symposium.
She has been actively involved in mentoring over the past year, developing a mentoring scheme within the Financial Planning Association (FPA) Sydney Chapter.
Mackay lectures on financial planning to over 400 Macquarie University masters students. She devised the course content and each semester lectures and marks boxes of over 400 final assessments.
She often volunteers her time to the FPA, which asked her to represent the profession at the Financial Ombudsman Service as an adjudicator and at the Australian Tax Office on their Self-Managed Super Fund Working Group.
Mackay was asked to judge the Best Practice Award in 2013 for Professional Planner, along with FPA’s Mark Rantall and Association of Financial Advisers’ Brad Fox.
She has a broad range of financial clients including wealth accumulators, pre- and post-retirees, individuals, families, senior executives and small business owners.
She devises their strategies and prepares advice documents, implementation and ongoing advice services for her clients.
Mackay manages Quantum’s community involvement program, which provides financial education services in the local community by partnering with Centrelink and other community-based organisations.
She is said to have a knack of explaining complicated technical and legal issues in a simple manner, which her clients love.
On ABC TV she regularly provides her expert views in appearances on The Business, 7.30, and Finance Quarter.
Mackay is a CFP member of the FPA, Secretary of the Sydney Chapter of the FPA and member of the Technical Working Group of the FPA.
Click here to find out more about the winners in the Women in Financial Services Awards.
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