Victorian-based adviser Bernie Toohey has been named the inaugural ‘Zurich Adviser of the Year’, by theAssociation of Financial Advisers(AFA) andZurich Financial Services Australia.
The award, which was open to AFA members, was judged by AFA national president Robin Yates, Australian College of Financial Services principal Peter Carbilis, Paul Resnik of The Paul Resnik Consultancy, and Michael Harrison, outgoing Zurich head of wealth protection.
“The award pays tribute to risk advisers who excel in providing professional service to their clients, run a highly successful business and go above and beyond in their contribution to this industry and their community,” Yates says.
The award was announced last night at the Gala Dinner of the AFA Annual Conference, of which Toohey also served as chairman.
Toohey is an authorized representative of Synchronised Business Services through his business Central Highlands Financial Services and has been actively involved in the AFA as national vice president and director for Victoria and Tasmania, and was also commended by the judges for his client recommendation and reporting systems.
Other nominees for the award included Kevin Owen of Total Financial Services, recognized for his work on mentoring, as well as maintaining excellent systems and processes within his practice, and Godfrey Phillips, similarly for his success with adviser study groups.
Other short-listed nominees included Peter Moyle, for his work as chairman of association MDRT and giving client-friendly recommendations among other things, Financial Lifestyle Solutions’ Trevor Cole for his strong work processes and systems, and Phillip Young, who was commended for his professional partnerships with accountancy and financial planning practices.
Nominated primarily for their commitment and contribution to the industry were Wayne Clarkson, WA AFA director and previous AFA president Joe Nowak.
Speaking on the award, Zurich head of life risk Chris Kirby says, “the life industry faces a number of challenges at the moment — FSRA, governance, fee and disclosure issues — and the award will help in reassuring clients that there are many highly professional and credible risk advisers in Australia”.
