DENVER, COLO – 15 December 2023 – Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB), the standards-setting body for the global financial planning profession, is pleased to announce the appointment of Yu Gao (China), Colin Slabach, Ph.D., CFP, RICP (U.S.) and Eunice Chun Hei, Chan, CFP (Malaysia) to its distinguished Board of Directors, effective Monday 1 April 2024. These accomplished leaders bring a wealth of expertise and diverse perspectives to uphold, establish, and promote worldwide professional standards in financial planning.
Yu Gao has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry in the U.S. and Asia. He has held several leadership roles with Morgan Stanley Asia Ltd. including Co-CIO, Asia Private Equity; Member of China Management Committee; Chairman of Investment Committee of RMB Fund; and Managing Director, Investment Management. In addition, he has extensive international leadership experience serving as chairman/vice chairman of companies focused on global expansion including Nissos Holdings and Home Control International Ltd. He currently serves as a member of FPSB China’s Academic Advisory Committee. Gao holds a dual Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Economics from Tsinghua University and a Master of Science in Engineering-Economic Systems & Operations Research from Stanford University. Gao will serve a three-year term.
Colin Slabach, Ph.D., CFP, RICP serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor and faculty lead at New York University, and previously served as Professor of Retirement at The American College and Assistant Director at the Center for Retirement Income. With vast experience in financial education since 2016, Slabach is committed to diversity in the profession and has been involved in positioning financial planning programs internationally, encouraging students to develop a comprehensive understanding of financial planning across various international contexts. He currently serves on the U.S-based Financial Planning Association’s Nex Gen Advisory Board and fintech company Tolerisk. Slabach holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Finance from Eastern Illinois University, a Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning, and a Ph.D. in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech University. Slabach will serve a three-year term.
Eunice Chun Hei, Chan, Chartered Banker, CFP, IFP, has more than 26 years of experience in the banking, securities and trust services, and financial planning industries. She currently serves as Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Wealth Management and Segment, Group Wealth Management at Maybank Malaysia. A long-standing leader in the financial planning profession, she has played a key role in the strategic expansion and business growth of wealth management business in the Malaysian market. As a board member, Exco member, and Treasurer of the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia, she is an advocate for financial literacy and is passionate about sharing her financial planning knowledge and experience to benefit the broader community in Malaysia and across the globe. Eunice holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She is replacing Brett Millard, CFP, CIM who resigned from the FPSB Board of Directors after accepting a position at FP Canada earlier this year. Eunice will serve a two-year term.
“We are excited to welcome Yu, Colin, and Eunice to the FPSB Board of Directors,” said FPSB chairperson Ana Cláudia Akie Utumi, CFP. “Their diverse backgrounds and expertise, along with their excellence, commitment, and passion for financial planning, will help achieve our strategic objectives and support the growth of the global financial planning profession.”
The newly appointed board members will join six volunteers on the FPSB Board of Directors from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the Netherlands committed to advancing FPSB’s vision, mission, and strategies.
Additional elected FPSB Network leadership positions include:
- Ulf Mannhardt, CFP, Planejar – Associação Brasileira de Planejamento Financeiro liaison to FPSB, was re-elected to serve a one-year term as chairperson of the FPSB Council commencing 1 January 2024 and a one-year term as a member of the FPSB Nominating Committee on 1 April 2024.
- Lelané Bezuidenhout, CFP, CEO of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, was re-elected to serve a two-year term as chair of the FPSB Chief Executives Committee on 1 January 2024.
- Emer Kirk, CFP, CEO of FPSB Ireland, will join the FPSB Chief Executives Committee as an at-large representative for a three-year term starting 1 January 2024.
- Tashia Batstone, President & CEO of FP Canada, will serve a one-year term as a member of the FPSB Nominating Committee on 1 April 2024.
- Kirsty Scully, CFP, Board Chairperson of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, will serve a one-year term as a member of the FPSB Nominating Committee on 1 April 2024.