It’s all in a day’s work for this true believer

It’s not every day you come across someone like Simone Vanden-Driesen. As a director of financial planning firm Leishman Financial Services, a certified financial planner (CFP), qualified senior financial planner for the same firm and the mother of a young child, she may well claim that her hands are full.

So busy are she and her husband, Chris, who is also a planner at the firm, they have to make lunch appointments just to catch up!

But according to Vanden-Driesen, it is just a matter of prioritising your time. And apart from family and client commitments, top of Vanden-Driesen’s priority list is educating the public.

“I’m very big on public education, I think it’s really what the industry needs to focus on to help us all, to help us as advisers and the public. Less confusion means less litigation,” she says.

In her nomination, Vanden-Driesen toldMoney Managementthat her drive behind promoting public education is aimed at reducing the complexities and confusion clients face when seeking advice.

In her ‘spare’ time, Vanden-Driesen provides free education sessions to raise public awareness and regularly speaks at Centrelink seminars.

She is an appointed speaker for Commonwealth and Victorian Governments for public financial education sessions, and has sat on theFinancial Planning Association(FPA) CFP media panel. She also regularly writes articles for the local and daily press in Glen Waverly, Melbourne.

Beyond just talking the talk, Vanden-Driesen provides a free service to members of the community who have had problems with Centrelink and runs study groups for fellow practitioners to develop their skills in retirement planning and salary packaging — all free of charge.

It was her father — James Leishman — who gave Vanden-Driesen her start in the industry 14 years ago.

“At university I did a course in marketing and management. I actually wanted to be a BDM, but every one of the roles meant moving to Sydney, which was not an option for me at the time,” she says.

“Jim, my father, said ‘Why don’t you get your proper authority and see how you go?’ After 12 months I knew I wanted to continue as an adviser.

“Entering the industry at that time was daunting because it was so male-dominated. Luckily I went to a school where I was given the mindset that, as a woman, you can achieve anything you want. If anything, it made me strive harder to prove a woman can do it in this industry.”

And Vanden-Driesen continues to make an impact on the financial planning industry, having been part of the CFP Practitioner’s Forum and the FPA Melbourne Chapter Continuing Professional Development Committee among others.

On a community level, she has also found time to organise fund-raising functions, act on the board of the Mitcham Lions Club and distribute Christmas hampers to needy families.

It’s all part of a day’s work for the 32-year-old planner.

“I love my work, I’ve loved it since I started. There’s a high level of satisfaction involved.”

It’s not just Vanden-Driesen who is satisfied either — her clients commend her for conducting research above and beyond the call of duty, as well as her professionalism, diligence and knowledge.

“I’m glad that I moved straight into the financial planning arena from school — my history and background is in this environment, I chose it from the start. And that’s an advantage to my clients as well.”