On Sunday, 23rd October on the Gold Coast, Mark Rattigan was named the 2011 Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) Rising Star of the year.

The AFA Rising Star of the Year Award (the Award), sponsored by OnePath, recognises up-and-coming advisers who provide quality, holistic advice; who demonstrate a commitment to education and who make a valuable contribution to their industry and to their community. This was the second year in a row that Mark made the final 6 in Australia and the amazing development and growth of the business over the last 12 months helped take him to victory.

Announcing Mark Rattigan's win at the AFA National Conference on the Gold Coast this afternoon, AFA CEO Richard Klipin said that it was Mark's passion for providing quality advice and his dedication to his business and clients that gave him the edge over the other finalists.

"Mark's guiding principle is delivering excellence to his clients," Mr Klipin said. "He captures all that this Award is about and represents the future of our profession."

Mr Klipin said the calibre of this year's finalists again exceeded expectations. "We are witnessing the development of the next generation of advisers to our profession," he said. "It's a proud moment for our Association to see such strong and capable foundations for future growth being laid."

This tops off a fantastic 12 months of recognition for the Merideon team, which includes Matthew Ripley winning the 2010 WA Value of Advice award, Mark being runner up in 2010 and 2011 in the Value of Advice award, Nathalie Pires being a finalist in 2010 and 2011 in the Mandurah Rotary "Pride in Workmanship" award. These accolades make Merideon one of the most awarded Financial Planning firms in the region and they are just getting started.

Gerard Kerr, OnePath's Head of Retail Insurance Products and Marketing, said the Rising Star Award recognises the industry's finest emerging talent. "We believe that nurturing new talent is the key to sustaining the industry's growth," he said. "It's in all our interests to ensure the future of the financial industry is in good hands. That's why OnePath has sponsored the AFA Rising Star of the Year Award since its inception in 2005. It's our way of helping recognise, celebrate and support tomorrow's leaders."

See the Finalist interview here...

See the announcement and acceptance speech...

2011 Finalists
Nicholas Brian - Complete Risk Analysis (VIC)
Marion Gaertner - Elders Financial Planning (SA)
Matt Hale - Financial Design for Life (VIC)
Finn Kelly - Wealth Enhancers (VIC)
Ali Mohammed - Planet Insurance and Financial Planning (VIC)
Mark Rattigan - Merideon Wealth Strategies (WA)

The Judging Panel
Esther Althaus, Perspective Financial Services and 2007 AFA Rising Star Winner
Chris Southgate, Pinnacle Risk Insurance and 2009 AFA Rising Star Winner
Richard Klipin, AFA
Terry Bell, Business Health
Gerard Kerr, OnePath
Daniel Waller, OnePath