Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) has awarded Dawn Hawley, CFP®, the Donald J. Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award in Financial Planning, the highest honour bestowed by the organization, recognizing a lifetime advancement of CFP certification and significant positive impact on the financial planning profession.

The award is named after the late Donald J. Johnston, who led FPSC through its successful first decade of development and operation.

Hawley, a financial planner with the Angus Watt Advisory Group – National Bank Financial in Edmonton, has more than 35 years of experience in the financial planning profession. With a long-time passion for the profession, Hawley has advocated for rigorous standards through a variety of her professional and volunteer activities. Among other achievements, she most recently served as chair of the FPSC board of directors from 2015 to 2017, serving eight years as a board member in total.

Served on working group

Hawley also served on FPSC’s professional practice working group, which played a key role in the development of the Financial Planning Body of Knowledge for FPSC Level 1® Certificants in Financial Planning and CFP professionals.

FPSC will make a $10,000 donation in Hawley’s name to one or more charitable organizations of her choice. Hawley has selected the Financial Planning Foundation and the Edmonton Community Foundation as recipients.

FPSC also recognized two new Fellow of FPSC™ recipients Aurèle Courcelles, CFP and Professor Kwok Sum Ho, CFP. Created in 2011, Fellow of FPSC distinction is a life-long honour that recognizes individuals who have helped advance FPSC’s purpose as well as advance CFP professional standards, and who have embodied these standards throughout their careers.