Adviser award winners announced

Friday, March 6th 2009, 12:09pm

Winners of the PAA Awards for 2009:

Christchurch based The Insurance Clinic’s Stephanie Wiki picked up the two top awards at the PAA Adviser of the Year Awards last night. Stephanie Wiki walked away with the Asteron Risk Adviser of the Year Award as well as the main prize, the Sovereign PAA Adviser of the Year Award for 2009. Chief executive of the PAA, Dave McMillan was highly impressed with the quality of Wiki’s business.

“Our members are bound by a code of ethics and a complaints procedure that holds advisers accountable for the financial advice they give. The awards are designed to say that of all the people who adhere to our code of ethics and standards, here’s the cream of the crop. Stephanie’s business is right up there with the very best and we are delighted with such a deserving winner.”

The PAA Award categories cover established businesses and practitioners as well as the “Rookies” in the association. The established practitioners as well as rookies were honoured for their track record, their commitment to excellence and the part they play in supporting the community in which they live and serve.

“Rookies are those who have less than three years experience in the sector they have been nominated in – they are at the early stages of their careers as advisers, or at the early stages of a new sector in their business. These people are our future and it is critical that we support and acknowledge the stars who will secure this future,” McMillan says.

The award judges were NZ Home Loans founder John Erkkila, Brian Klee of Special Risks Insurance and insurance industry consultant Allan Mearns. The judges were particularly impressed with the entry submitted by Alistair Holt of Alistair Holt Ltd. Holt’s submission was supported by in excess of nine glowing testimonials from the company’s accounting firm customers. The links Holt has been able to build with the accounting community scored Holt the AIG Life Business Insurance Adviser of the Year Award.

ANZ Rookie Mortgage Adviser of the Year
Winner – Michael Rusher, New Build Home Finance

Sovereign Mortgage Adviser of the Year
Winner – Kerry Kelly, Mortgage Express
Runner-up – Andy Philipson

Fidelity Life Rookie Business Insurance Adviser of the Year
Winner – Anthony Gill, Albany Insurance Services Ltd
Runner-up – Peter Weijer

AIG Life Business Insurance Adviser of the Year
Winner – Alistair Holt, Alistair Holt Ltd

Asteron Rookie Risk Adviser of the Year
Winner – Anson Davies, Cardinal Financial Services

Asteron Risk Adviser of the Year
Winner – Stephanie Wiki, The Insurance Clinic
Joint Runners-up – Johanna Pansier and Tina Jarvis