NAVIGATE: Policy developments: Company collapses - FAAA leading the discussion

David has extensive experience in financial services having worked with major banks as well as leading multiple industry and community organisations. His background includes extensive experience in leading large-scale change in the financial services industry with a successful track record in shaping organisations through building strategic direction and delivery of major, industry and organisational transformation. For the last 18 months, as inaugural CEO of the CSLR, he has worked with industry and community organisations as well as government ensuring transparency of the scheme and its responsibilities and that it delivers on its legislative mandate.

Phil Anderson is the General Manager Policy, Advocacy & Standards of the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA). Phil had spent over 10 years at the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA), including most recently as CEO before the successful vote to merge with the Financial Planning Association (FPA). 
He has previously worked for Netwealth as General Manager Governance and Advice, and Colonial First State, where he was the Head of Risk Management & Compliance for the CFS Advice business. Phil has been in the financial services industry for over 25 years, having also worked with AMP, MLC and Perpetual. 

Phil has been responsible for policy, including the Quality of Advice Review, and the implementation of the requirements of the Professional Standards legislation and the Royal Commission Recommendations. Phil has previously been integrally involved in the FoFA, TASA, Education/Professional Standards and the Life Insurance Framework debates including driving the development of submissions to FASEA, Treasury, ASIC, the Tax Practitioners Board and Parliamentary Committees. Phil is a CPA and has a Bachelor and Masters of Commerce along with the DFP and ADFP.

Shail completed a law/science degree at the University of Melbourne in 1996 and commenced his legal career in 1997 at a top-tier Australian Law Firm Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashursts). Since that time, Shail has worked both in-house, and as legal counsel for various regulators including Worksafe Victoria and the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria. Shail completed his Masters in Law at the University of Melbourne in 2005, and in 2008 he left the law to train and work as a financial planner, completing his Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning in 2009 at Kaplan, before joining AFCA’s predecessor scheme, FOS, as a case manager in 2010. Shail was appointed as an Ombudsman at the commencement of AFCA in 2018, and then the Senior Ombudsman (Investments and Advice) in 2021. From January 2022 he was the Acting Lead Ombudsman Investments and Advice until he was officially appointed to the role in May 2023. Shail has now worked in dispute resolution for over a decade and is a specialist in Investments and Advice complaints. This includes financial planning, derivatives, managed funds, timeshare, cryptocurrency and stockbroking disputes.

Leah leads ASIC’s Financial Advice and Investment Management team within the Regulation and Supervision group. The team oversees the regulatory work associated with financial advisers, advice licensees, managed investment schemes, wholesale funds, platforms and managed discretionary accounts. Prior to this role, Leah was ASIC’s Senior Executive Leader, Financial Advisers.
Leah has more than 13 years of regulatory experience and has worked on significant policy and enforcement initiatives. Leah is focused on improving access to good quality affordable advice and working to address conduct in the advice and investment management sectors that leads to poor consumer outcomes. Prior to joining ASIC, Leah was a practising financial adviser for over 10 years, representing several Australian financial services licensees and providing personal advice to retail clients. Leah holds a degree in Business from the Queensland University of Technology as well as a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.