Ousted Perth Chapter chairman wins election to FPA board

The woman ousted earlier this year as Perth Chapter chairman of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), Julie Matheson, has won election to the national board of the FPA.

‘Permanently removed’ as chapter chairman on September 6 for unspecified reasons she claimed were “invalid”, Matheson is one of four new members to be elected from 15 nominations onto the FPA’s national board, effective from November 26.

Also a director of Perth-based planning practice Sovereign Bridge, she joins Asteron technical services head Louise Biti, Haintz Financial Services executive chairman David Haintz, and Magnitude Group chief executive Mark Spiers as newcomers on the FPA board.

Corinna Dieters will serve as the chair of the FPA for a second year, following a “unanimous decision” by the board, according to an FPA media release on the elections issued on Friday.

Matheson told Money Management this morning that as a board member she would be true to her nomination manifesto of “reforming the FPA in the interests of professional financial planners’ representation, rather than a head office corporate agenda”.

“These go to the heart of the reforms required to return the FPA to a vigorous, member-engaging, open, accountable association that professional financial planners can identify with.”

Claiming “expressions of support from throughout Australia” for her board nomination, she said her “removal as chapter chair was made by a minority, while my election to the board was a decision of the majority”.

News of Matheson’s removal as Perth Chapter chairman came by way of her own media release in September, which she suggested was motivated by another example “of a head office agenda [running the FPA], rather than members’ interests”.

FPA general manager, corporate communications, Susan Grice said the decision to remove Matheson from the chapter chair was “made for specific reasons” and would therefore have no bearing on her ability to fulfil her role as a board director.

Describing Matheson’s election as a “sign that democracy is alive and well” at the FPA, Grice said the FPA board is “made up of elected members who represent the membership, and as such she is welcome on the board”.