CountPlus CEO and Managing Director Matthew Rowe has won the Industry Leadership Award as part of the 2021 CoreData Licensee of the Year Awards.

Mr Rowe has been publicly active in taking a stance against any diminution of the role and prominence of the licensee in helping to ensure high-quality advice is delivered to Australian consumers, arguing that licensees should remain central and bolstered through, among other things, minimum capital adequacy requirements.       

His representations to regulators and policymakers ensured the benefits of retaining the licensee entity remained front-and-centre in any conversation about the future regulatory structure of the financial planning industry, while acknowledging and setting out potential solutions to perceived shortcomings in the role of the licensee to support adequate consumer protection.

Mr Rowe said he was surprised but pleased to be named the winner of the Industry Leadership Award.

“My background as a financial adviser means I understand the issues confronting advisers, so I am always willing to influence positive outcomes for them and their clients. While it’s nice to receive personal accolades, we have a team at Count Financial who provide me with the support needed to advocate for financial advisers and our industry which I am grateful for.”

Count Financial was also named in the 2021 CoreData Licensee Research as a potential licensee of choice by the greatest proportion of advisers considering switching to a new licensee in the next 12 months.