Sharpe era over with deputy elected to be next FAAA chair

Financial Advice Association Australia deputy chair Michelle Veitch will succeed David Sharpe as chair, closing a tenure that included the association’s merger, as well as navigating key regulatory changes including advice reform and the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort.

Announced by the FAAA on Wednesday morning, the appointment follows a board election process that confirmed Veitch, who is is a Certified Financial Planner and state manager of PSK Financial Services, as chair-elect.

Veitch will become chair of the FAAA board following the 2026 annual general meeting at the association’s National Congress in Melbourne in November, for a term that will end in November 2028.

Veitch has more than 25 years of experience in financial advice and was one of the founding principals and managing director of South Australian-based practice, Mybluesky. 

After finalising a significant business transaction with in early 2025, Veitch now holds the position of general manager advice (SA) for PSK Private Wealth while also continuing to work directly with clients as a senior financial adviser. PSK is one of Paul Barrett’s AZ NGA so-called “super firms”.

Sharpe was the final chair of the Financial Planning Association and the inaugural chair of the FAAA after the FPA merged with the Association of Financial Advisers in 2023.

In addition to the last three years as chair of the FAAA, Sharpe served seven years on the FPA board, including as the FPA chair from May 2022, and will have reached the end of his maximum 10-year tenure as a director by the AGM in November.

The chair is elected by the board, and the association holds elections for the board in two of every three years. The FAAA chair is elected for two-year tenures, and Sharpe was re-elected in 2024.

During Sharpe’s tenure as chair he not only oversaw the two industry bodies merging, but also the education standard and experience pathway deadlines, the introduction of the CSLR, and he was a key representative, spokesperson and advocate for the profession in Canberra during the Quality of Advice Review and the subsequent Delivering Better Financial Outcomes legislative reforms package.

But while advocacy is still a work-in-progress in many of those areas, Sharpe said he is proud of the work done since the formation of the FAAA more than three years ago.

“I am most proud of how quickly and seamlessly the FAAA has formed its own identity and unified the membership,” he said. “Our members are clear that their FAAA is here to represent their interests.”

Sharpe said significant work remained and “the job isn’t complete”, particularly in relation to the CSLR and supporting the growth of the profession.

“In my remaining time as chair of the FAAA, CSLR, along with the initial steps of regrowing numbers in our profession, remain the core focus and those challenges will continue to drive me over the next four months,” Sharpe said.

Veitch, who was inaugural deputy chair of the FAAA and was vice president of the AFA prior to the merger, said she was optimistic about the future of the profession and the role the FAAA can play in supporting members.

“When I assume the role of chair in November, my focus will be on continuing to deliver the FAAA’s strategic priorities to 2030, keeping the association relevant in a rapidly changing environment, and bringing stakeholders together to build a stronger future for our members and the profession,” Veitch said.

FAAA chief executive Sarah Abood thanked Sharpe for his contributions to the association and profession to date.

“David has led the FAAA through a formative period in its history and has been a passionate advocate for members and the profession,” Abood said.