Profiles and pitches of 18 candidates for the FAAA board of directors for 2026

The 2026 election for three seats at the FAAA board of directors has attracted 18 candidates. Here is their profiles and main pitch points for the 2026 election.

CEO and managing director of Kingdom Financial Group Ben Ellingsen serves as treasurer of The Advisers Association. He has been chair of the Wide Bay Federal Divisional Council for a decade, previously he was president of the Gympie Chamber of Commerce for 10 years, leading a member-based business association. As CEO he built and ran a multidisciplinary professional services firm that delivers integrated accounting, tax, financial planning, and estate planning services under an AFSL. He is a practitioner member with the FAAA and an authorised representative under Akumin AFSL advising over 150 client groups.

Key quote from Ellingsen’s pitch: “I’m standing for the FAAA Board because our profession needs directors who understand both the boardroom and the client meeting room.”

Christine Lusher has served on the FAAA Newcastle Chapter Committee since 2023, helping deliver CPD and networking events, bring FAAA speakers to regional members, and sponsor students to attend the FAAA Congress. She founded her financial planning business, Lush Wealth, in 2008 and has previously served on the Hunter Business Women’s Network Committee. She is a Certified Financial Planner professional, she remains actively involved in day-to-day advice for retail clients, specialising in superannuation, investments, retirement planning, personal insurance, wealth creation, and strategies for clients going through separation and divorce.

Key quote from Lusher’s pitch: “I believe the FAAA has a critical role in advocating for a sustainable advice profession, reducing unnecessary regulatory complexity and ensuring the voices of practising advisers are heard by government and regulators.”

Katrina Haskew is an ordinary member of the FAAA contributing through her work as a practising adviser, business owner and advocate. In 2024 she received the Advice Advocate of the Year award within the WT Financial Group network. She is managing director and senior financial adviser at Leading Advice, operating within the Millennium3 licensed network, where she is responsible for the strategic direction, financial performance, people and compliance of the business. She has previously served on the advisory board for Millennium3, as well as in treasurer and vice president roles with sporting clubs and networking organisations. She continues to advise retail clients on superannuation, wealth creation, retirement planning, personal insurance and aged care.

Key quote from Haskew’s pitch: “I believe we should continue raising professional standards while also advocating strongly for practical regulation, sensible education pathways and reforms that make high-quality financial advice more accessible to Australians.”

Lauren Walker has been an FAAA member since 2016 and a CFP professional since 2017. She has spoken at events to develop young advisers and lectures at Curtin University, teaching ethics, regulation and professional practice to WA financial planning and finance students. She waived her lecturing fees so they could support student development, which helped five students attend the Perth FAAA Congress in 2025. She serves as a member of ASIC’s Financial Services and Credit Panel. As a former head of advice and responsible manager, she was responsible for competence and oversight of advice delivered under a large AFSL and served on the Risk and Compliance Committee and Investment Committee. She is a senior financial adviser with Canaccord Genuity in Perth, advising individuals, families and private wealth clients on superannuation and retirement planning, investment strategy, personal insurance, estate and intergenerational planning, and complex structures.

Key quote from Walker’s pitch: “I would bring three perspectives to the FAAA Board: that of a practising CFP professional working directly with retail clients, an experienced governance and regulatory decision maker, and an educator committed to developing the next generation of advisers.”

Lisa Smith recently sat on the panel for the FAAA Women in Finance (WA Chapter) GROW series, having served on its founding committee from 2023 to 2024. She is a board member of the Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA), a not-for-profit providing free legal advice to vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians and was the founding member and president of the Country Women’s Association (WA) Busselton Belles branch. A former corporate lawyer, she began her career at PwC specialising in corporate taxation. She is a CFP and Aged Care Accredited Adviser working with pre-retirees and retirees and leading a client-focused team. She is an elected member of the AFSL Investment Committee and mentors and supervises a Professional Year candidate.

Key quote from Smith’s pitch: “I want to help shape a FAAA that is forward-thinking, collaborative and respected; that supports advisers in delivering exceptional outcomes and builds public trust in the value of financial advice.”

Michael Ha experience spans across Commonwealth Bank, Westpac/BT, HSBC, KPMG, Assured Support and Wealth Forum, where he has worked to improve compliance frameworks, adviser capability and consumer outcomes. As executive manager, advice remediation at Commonwealth Bank, he led governance, methodology and quality assurance for one of Australia’s largest customer remediation programs following ASIC regulatory action. He managed large advice businesses with multimillion-dollar revenue responsibilities, he has advised financial institutions on corporate governance, risk management, and AFSL and ACL compliance. He also contributes to not-for-profit governance through the St George Basketball Association. He is a CFP and provides holistic personal advice to retail clients on superannuation, retirement planning, investments, personal insurance, cash flow and wealth creation.

Key quote from Ha’s pitch: “I am standing to represent members with a practical, collaborative and solutions-focused approach. I believe strong governance, high professional standards and meaningful member engagement are essential to ensuring the FAAA remains a trusted voice for advisers and consumers.”

Naomi Nicholls has been a member of the FPA/FAAA since 1999 and is an FAAA member. She has chaired the FAAA Wide Bay Chapter since 2023, having previously been Wide Bay FPA Chapter chair from 2010 to 2013 and a chapter committee member, including treasurer, from 2013 to 2022. She is practice principal and senior financial adviser at Nicholls Wealth Solutions, where she is responsible for the strategic direction, commercial performance, people and compliance of the practice. She also served for four years as a board member and treasurer of Zonta International locally. She advises retail clients on wealth creation, superannuation, retirement and pension planning, Centrelink, personal insurance, aged care and investments.

Key quote from Nicolls’ pitch: “As a practising adviser, practice principal and regional business owner, I would bring a practical perspective to the board. I understand the opportunities and challenges facing advisers, particularly those operating outside the major metropolitan centres, and the importance of ensuring quality financial advice remains accessible to Australians.”

Natallia Smith is an FAAA Financial Planner AFP member and serves on the FAAA Melbourne Chapter Committee, where she is helping develop the chapter’s International Women’s Day event for March 2027. She is also a committee member of The Boutique Financial Planning Principals Association, treasurer of her local community centre, and was recently appointed Victorian state president of WCEI. She established TruWealth Advice in 2010 and has operated under her own AFSL since 2017. She leads a multidisciplinary team and oversees compliance, professional standards, adviser supervision and business risk. She advises retail clients on retirement planning, superannuation, investments, Centrelink, personal insurance and aged-care planning, with a focus on women over 50 approaching retirement or going through a life transition such as divorce, separation, widowhood or inheritance.

Key quote from Smith’s pitch: “If elected, I will bring the perspective of a practising adviser, business owner, employer and active committee member. I will listen to members across different business models, career stages and regions, and advocate for practical decisions that strengthen our profession without losing sight of the people we serve.”

Ngoc Quach is an ordinary member of the FAAA and works as a senior paraplanner with Stratus Financial Group. Her contribution to the profession has come through her day-to-day work helping advisers deliver high-quality, compliant advice. Her leadership experience has been developed through senior operational and project responsibilities within financial advice practices, including business improvement initiatives, workflow development, advice process enhancement and technology implementation. Her work involves analysing client financial positions, modelling strategies, and preparing Statements of Advice and Records of Advice. She supports advisers in delivering holistic advice to retail clients on retirement planning, superannuation, aged care, investment strategy, risk management and estate planning.

Key quote from Quach’s pitch: “I am seeking election to bring the perspective of a practising advice professional working directly within advice businesses every day… I offer something equally valuable: a current, practical understanding of how industry decisions affect advisers, paraplanners, businesses and clients.”

Nick Fraietta is a senior financial adviser with PSK Private Wealth. He takes part in the Pro Bono Financial Advice Network, assisting Australians living with Multiple Sclerosis and other serious illnesses or disabilities who may not otherwise be able to access financial advice, and is a member of the Self Managed Super Fund Association (SMSFA). He previously served as secretary of Workplace Super Specialists Australia. He advises retail clients on superannuation, retirement planning, portfolio construction and investment management, wealth accumulation, personal insurance, estate planning, cash flow management and Centrelink strategies.

Key quote from Fraietta’s pitch: “I believe effective representation starts with listening, acting with integrity and always putting the interests of members first.”

Pedro Marin Ramirez is an ordinary member of the FAAA and a CFP professional, practising since 2018. He co-chairs the FAAA Brisbane Metro Community and sits on ASIC’s Queensland Regional Liaison Committee, where he has raised the industry levy’s impact on firms bringing in new advisers and argued for a simplified advice threshold for small balances. He holds his own AFSL through Marin Financial, where he is director and responsible manager, owning the risk register, conflicts policies and complaints handling. He has also built an equity vesting and succession framework for two emerging advisers. He founded Marin Wealth in 2023, having previously trained in tax accounting and worked in institutional superannuation. He advises professionals, business owners and families, including a large cross-border cohort, in English and Spanish, on retirement and superannuation strategy, portfolio construction, personal insurance, SMSF and business structuring, and estate considerations.

Key quote from Marin Ramirez’s pitch: “Our hardest problem is not advocacy it is arithmetic. We are now under 15,000 advisers for 27 million Australians. Our adviser population is ageing and the pipeline is not replacing us.”

Peter Jacob is a financial planner AFP member of the FAAA and a Fellow of FINSIA. He is an active member of the FAAA Melbourne Chapter and is a member of the chapter’s NextGen Subcommittee. He is a director of Alphington Private Wealth and sits on the Oreana Adviser Board. His previous board roles include director and chair of finance and audit committee at the Australian College of Educators, non-executive director of Frontier Wines Australia, and president of the Alphington Paper Mill Action Group, as well as the City of Yarra Business Advisory Group. He has experience running a full financial planning business and previously held senior roles in complex organisations, for Premium Wealth Services at Westpac Private Bank, regional funds management executive at ANZ Institutional Bank, and manager, investment services at AXA Funds Management. He provides direct financial advice to retail clients as a licensed adviser.

Key quote from Jacob’s pitch: “I am committed to advancing professional excellence and founded the Ideas Exchange, a peer-to-peer learning group that brings together like-minded advice practices to share ideas, insights, and best practices.”

Rebecca Scarrabelotti is a CFP professional member of the FAAA. She serves on the FAAA Brisbane Metro Community Inspire Committee, where she helped nearly double event attendance and personally secured over 90% of the charity prize pool, and is the FAAA Advice Ambassador to Senator James McGrath. She is founder and managing director of Brisbane Independent Financial Advisory, a self-licensed boutique where she manages the legal, corporate and AFSL responsibilities. She runs a fixed annual fee-for-service practice, working primarily with business owners and C-suite executives on multi-generational estate planning and business succession, family trusts, SMSFs, not-for-profits and defined benefit schemes, in collaboration with legal and accounting professionals.

Key quote from Scarrabelotti’s pitch: “I am running for the FAAA Board to ensure our governance includes active, practising professionals who live our daily realities.”

Renae Anderson is a CFP professional and has been an FAAA member for 20 years. Since 2022 she has been an industry representative on the FAAA Financial Planning Education Council, and she has supported FAAA Inspire and worked with the FAAA Advice Academy on adviser development. At UniSuper she established the organisation’s first professional year program and helped create a graduate pathway with the FAAA and Striver. She was named Women Empowering Wealth Mentor of the Year in 2026. She has experience in financial planning, superannuation and advice, including as head of financial advice at CareSuper and manager, select advice at UniSuper. She is senior manager, member education at UniSuper, leading members’ financial capability and engagement, and no longer provides personal advice directly.

Key quote from Anderson’s pitch: “I am standing for the FAAA Board because advice practices need practical, commercially grounded leadership at a time of real change.”

Samuel Mantarro is a CFP adviser member of the FAAA. He is a member of the FAAA Policy Regulation Committee, the current FAAA Advice Ambassador for Kingsford Smith, and part of the CSLR PII Consultation working group. He has served on the investment committee and as a board member at Trilogy Private Wealth. He has run his own business for more than 10 years, managing the finance and cash flow of the business and its related entities and investments. He is managing director and senior adviser, providing a full range of financial advice to clients daily and managing the day-to-day running of the financial planning business and its AFSL.

Key quote from Mantarro’s pitch: “I believe the financial advice profession stands at a critical juncture. I am a purpose-driven professional dedicated to fostering meaningful connections—whether through financial advice, business innovation, or community service.”

Simone McMullin is a CFP member of the FAAA. She is co-founder, director and responsible manager of Annex Wealth, a self-licensed financial advice practice, where she oversees the AFSL’s compliance and risk frameworks, internal controls and regulatory obligations, and is involved in strategy, financial performance, people and succession planning. She is a practising financial adviser who works with professionals, business owners and families on investments, superannuation, retirement planning and wealth management, often involving complex financial structures.

Key quote from McMullin’s pitch: “Most importantly, I want to contribute to an FAAA that represents its members strongly while continuing to build public confidence in the value of professional financial advice.”

Candidates standing for re-election

Deborah Kent is a current board director of the FAAA, where she chairs the Policy and Regulations Committee and sits on the Remuneration and Governance Committee. Her earlier governance roles include Board Director of the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority, president and national treasurer of the Association of Financial Advisers, inaugural chair of AFA Inspire, and chair of the FPA Parramatta and Sydney Chapters and the FPA CPD Committee. She has also served as president of the Parramatta Connection and is a director of Integra Financial Services. She has contributed to the professionalism of advice through association and board work, and as AFA president and national treasurer she oversaw the association’s finances, leaving it in a strong position with over 5,000 members. A CFP, she is the founder of Integra Financial Services, licensed to Oreana Financial Services, and provides holistic financial planning and aged care advice to clients.

Key quote from Kent’s pitch: “If re-elected, I will continue to advocate for members, support a sustainable advice profession, promote high professional and ethical standards, and ensure the FAAA remains financially strong and well governed.”

Sheila Gutierrez-Cabacungan has been an active FAAA and FPA community builder, advocate and connector since 1996. Since 2023 she has been a member-elected non-executive director of the FAAA, and she was the inaugural chair of the Community & Culture Committee. She helped initiate the first FAAA Cebu Study Tour and has fostered collaboration with the SMSF Association, STEP and higher education providers. From 2020 to 2025 she served on the Board of Management of SWR 99.9 FM serves on its Community Engagement Committee. She has run her self-licensed practice since 2009, as director and responsible manager of her own AFSL. She is an active CFP practitioner and director and responsible manager of Wealth Forum advising families and family business owners, often across multiple generations, on retirement planning, superannuation and SMSFs, investments, insurance, cash flow, wealth protection, intergenerational wealth transfer, estate planning and business succession.

Key quote from Gutierrez-Cabacungan’s pitch: “I ask for your vote to keep bringing the voice of the self-licensed, small-business CFP practitioner to our Board and FAAA’s future.”

This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by our editorial team.