Former Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) President Michael Murphy has died after a six-year battle with cancer.

Mr Murphy is credited with driving change at the AFA, enabling it to grow into the organisation it is today. He also played a fundamental role in the decision to recruit the current CEO, Richard Klipin.

“Mr Murphy was instrumental to the AFA in so many ways,” Mr Klipin said.

“He contributed in so many roles, in so many capacities and for so many years. His loss is keenly felt by the entire AFA community.”

In 2009, Mr Murphy became the inaugural winner of the AFA’s “best and fairest” award, which was named the AFA Michael Murphy Award in his honour.

He started his career in the life insurance industry in 1986 as an agent with Legal & General, progressing through study and experience to hold his own licence in 2003.

Mr Klipin says Mr Murphy will be remembered by the financial advice community as a man of great humanity, great compassion and overwhelming conviction about the value of advice and its power to transform the lives of ordinary Australians.

He is survived by his wife Charlotte and their six children.