Both sides of the coin

As much as his legacy is about advocating for members and helping uplift professional standards and demonstrate the true value of financial planning to the public, he's also built a strong reputation across the industry for another deep passion: his love of cricket.

Those who know Sharpe would also acknowledge that he is an aficionado of the sport. To that end, Sharpe is looking forward to watching The Ashes in England next year - his first family vacation in eight years.

When holidaying, rather than sitting at a beachfront resort, sipping a refreshing cocktail, he says he would much rather explore a destination with "grit".

Hong Kong is a prime example of his ideal vacation, as it offers both sides of the coin.

"For me, somewhere I can get lost in the back streets and walk and discover all of the weird stuff is what floats my boat more than sitting on a beachside resort drinking cocktails - I can do that for a day or two, and then I get bored," he enthuses.

Beyond holiday preferences, Sharpe has encountered crossroads throughout his life, from major ones that can be life-changing to those that he faces daily.

At a young age, for example, Sharpe was extremely into sports but was also exceptionally academic since he "enjoys the aspect of learning" and "wasn't one of those people that couldn't wait to get out of school."

When his first of three children finished high school last year, Sharpe reflects on what he wanted to achieve at that age. That was when he reached his first significant juncture: having the freedom that came with completing school and reaffirming of his career path.

At that moment, just like many teenagers, Sharpe filled a backpack and hit the road.

"I just backpacked around, living and working a little bit in the UK and other parts of Europe, and tried not to think about the future too much to enjoy the travel experience while exploring history and culture to see where I landed," Sharpe says.

Later, when he attended university, he first picked up geophysics because of his interests in maths, history and geography. He quit soon after because of the limited human interaction and because "rocks don't talk back".

He ended up studying finance in London but still struggled to decide where his career should go. In reality, he didn't know much about financial planning until he landed his first role.

"I don't think I knew what financial planning was, and it's probably not unusual. If you speak to a high school or university student, you have to explain what it is to them," he says.

"We engage with universities, and we have members who engage with high school communities [to improve awareness]."

For Sharpe, his love for numbers and engaging with people intuitively drew him closer to financial advice.

"It is the one profession that really connects numbers with people," he says.

Upon completing his degree, Sharpe still felt lost. But he made one thing clear: he did not want to follow in his father's footsteps into accounting

"That element had always pushed me away from getting involved, thinking that was the career path. I thought, 'No, I don't want to be like my dad'. I love my dad, but I didn't want to be a chartered accountant," he says.

Soon after, he landed his first gig at a financial planning firm, and, this time, struck gold. He found a place where he fell in love with the profession.

"I didn't necessarily love that firm, and I left relatively soon. It didn't align with how I wanted to operate, but I did find out that I love the client interaction and helping them. That was my pathway into financial planning," he says.

Once he found his groove, he wanted more control over his "destiny" and greater flexibility, which led him to establish Globe Financial Planning in 2009. This is also where he built his leadership skills, paving the way for his responsibilities at the FAAA.

"There's no doubt you carry a cognitive burden permanently as a business owner," he stresses.

"Anyone who runs a small business would know this sensation of you might go on holidays, but you're still checking your laptop every day."

Sharpe first linked with the FAAA in 2012 as a committee member before being elected director in 2016 and, later, chair in 2024. His role at the FAAA is far from simple, as he constantly juggles various responsibilities.

He starts his day as early as possible, as he is based in Perth, sitting exactly three hours behind the East Coast. So, he checks in with his colleagues at the FAAA immediately for updates from the other side of the country while making his way into the office.

"My day tends to be relatively erratic because I'm a father of three and a husband. I've got family commitments while trying to run a business, and chair an association," he says.

"A day could be full of client meetings where we're talking about their dreams, goals and aspirations. We discuss whether those things are possible or if they're actually in a worse position than they expect."

He also sets aside time for his family and to watch his kids' sports games. While he admits that wearing many hats can come "with difficulty," he enjoys the challenges.

"It's just about being as prepared as possible. If I've got client meetings, I'm ready for it a week in advance, and if something pops up during the day and gets delayed, the clients aren't missing out," he says.

"There's this old saying: proper preparation prevents poor performance. I like being ahead of the curve, and when things go south unexpectedly, you can deal with it accordingly. If I had a role where it was to do the same thing all the time, I'd probably get bored with that."

Bringing the Financial Planning Association and the Association of Financial Advisers under his guidance is what he's most proud of. He also refuses to replicate his predecessors, saying that being your authentic self is the most important part of being a great leader.

"One of the things I've held with the FAAA, Globe Financial Planning, media and my family is you can try and have a persona and be who you think a leader should be, or you can be yourself," Sharpe highlights.

"The problem with the former one is you must always remember who that person is, whereas being yourself, that's all you need to remember. When I took on the role at the FAAA, I couldn't be Neil Kendall or Marissa Broome. All I could be is David Sharpe.

"If I worked hard and presented myself well, that would be good enough. But that was probably the best lesson for anyone out there: to be your authentic self, because Australians have a strong detector for disingenuousness." fs