Greg Lourens from NSW-based SAM Group has won the Beddoes Institute’s national most trusted adviser award.

He also took the communication and interpersonal relationships prize and the technical expertise award, plus the NSW most trusted adviser prize.

Winners and finalists were selected based on client ratings in last year’s Beddoes Institute Client Experience Survey.

David Reed from The Retirement Advice Centre won the national most recommended adviser award after securing the NSW prize.

Andrew Hollow from AHS Financial took the Victorian most trusted and most recommended adviser categories, while Debbie Hudson of Wealth Fusion was SA’s most trusted adviser.

PJ Byrne of Mr Insurance was the most trusted adviser in Queensland, with Samantha Hamilton of Key Choice Financial Solutions winning the WA most trusted and recommended adviser awards.

The most recommended adviser in SA was Katherine Hann, while Troy Theobald from Robina Financial Solutions was the Queensland winner in that category.

Beddoes director Rebecca Sheils says the awards are particularly helpful in the current environment, with consumers seeking greater reassurance on advisers.

“Common to all award winners were consistent strengths across key attributes including client trust, advocacy and willingness to recommend to family and friends,” she said.

“The awards are based on 3750 advice client ratings across 137 of Australia’s top Most Trusted Adviser Network advisers and 64 practices.”

Dr Sheils says advisers and practices need at least 20 client ratings and a response rate of more than 30% to be eligible for an award.

“Award recipients typically had a client survey response rate of 47%, which means the awards are based on a large and representative sample of clients.

“Measuring trust is important for creating a pathway for improving trust between advisers and the community, as well as building a sustainable advice business.”