From beginnings in software to trusted financial guide: Kiran Bhullar’s journey through Australia’s advice revolution

When Kiran Bhullar arrived in Melbourne from India in her mid-twenties, she expected her career to continue in software development, not financial advice. A visit from her long-distance boyfriend – already living in Australia – changed everything. Marriage followed, along with a permanent move to Melbourne, quietly setting her on a path that would reshape her professional life.

“I had no background in finance at all,” Bhullar says. “My job in India had been in a software company – long hours, technical work, very desk-based – and I knew I didn’t want to go back to that.”

Her first Australian role proved pivotal. Almost by chance, she joined superannuation administrator Superpartners, working with some of the country’s largest industry funds. It was her first exposure to Australia’s retirement system – and a confronting one.

“When I got the job, I rang my dad in India to tell him,” she recalls. “He asked, ‘What is super?’ and I couldn’t explain it. I was embarrassed that I had a job I didn’t properly understand.”

That moment sparked a determination to master the system from the ground up. While working full-time, Bhullar began studying superannuation and financial planning, starting with ASIC RG146 and progressing through the Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning. An MBA at Melbourne Business School briefly tempted her, but mentors encouraged her to prioritise hands-on industry experience.

Within 18 months, she had moved from administration and insurance roles into Superpartners’ newly formed intra-fund advice team – the first internal hire among a small group of highly experienced external advisers.

“It was an incredible training ground,” she says. “Most of them were winding down from 20 or 30 years in advice – specialists in tax, estate planning, everything. I absorbed as much as I could.”

The technical learning was matched by cultural challenges. As a young woman in a traditionally male-dominated profession, Bhullar remember she was once told she didn’t fit the adviser stereotype.

“Some people would say, ‘Clients want the adviser with 30 years’ experience, not a young woman,’” she says. Even well-meaning colleagues warned her against challenging older male clients.

Raised by a father who never suggested limits on her ambitions, Bhullar found the mindset confronting. Her response was to focus relentlessly on competence. She pursued every qualification she could: CFP, ethics courses (long before they were mandated), estate planning, SMSFs, margin lending and specialist accreditations.

A pivotal confidence boost came during a coffee with a senior industry figure who also lectured in financial planning.

“He just kept saying, ‘You’re going to go far. You have what it takes,’” she says. “One strong voice can make all the difference.”

She was soon head-hunted via LinkedIn to Westpac/BT Financial Planning. At its peak, the business had over 500 advisers nationally, and Bhullar thrived in an environment she says genuinely supported female talent.

“Westpac gave me the platform to be fearless,” she says. “They backed the idea that a young woman could build a large advice business.” She was quickly recognised as a top performer and later named Adviser of the Year.

But the broader industry was entering a period of upheaval. The aftermath of the global financial crisis and the Hayne Royal Commission brought intense scrutiny, while public trust in the profession eroded.

As Westpac’s adviser numbers dwindled dramatically, Bhullar began to reassess her future. When UniSuper approached her in 2019, the contrast was stark: salaried advice, minimal conflicts, and a strong member-first ethos.

“It felt like a breath of fresh air,” she says. “I’m trusted to give good advice. No one questions my motives.”

UniSuper’s broader advice team is close to 180 strong nationally, with over 50 providing comprehensive advice. Bhullar works in the Victorian team – the largest in the fund – and is currently the only aged-care accredited UniSuper adviser across Victoria and Tasmania.

Her work spans retirement planning, tax and super strategies, defined benefit schemes and aged care advice. Education is a major part of her role, with regular seminars and webinars delivered across universities and member events.

“On some roadshows we’ll have more than a thousand people in the room and several thousand online,” she says. “On International Women’s Day I shared the stage with Julie Bishop – moments like that still surprise me.”

Like many advisers, Bhullar worries about Australia’s widening advice gap. Her diary is sometimes booked months in advance, showing the strong demand for quality financial advice.

With banks largely exiting wealth advice, she believes large super funds are well placed to fill the void.

“For most Australians, money advice has always come from either their bank or their super fund,” she says. “Banks scaled back after the Royal Commission. Super funds have the scale, trust and resources to step in.”

UniSuper’s model separates simple guidance – such as contributions, insurance and investment options – from comprehensive advice for more complex needs, including retirement, investments outside super and aged care.

“It’s about meeting people where they are,” Bhullar says. “Scaled and digital advice early on, and deeper advice when life gets complicated.”

Outside work, she is a mother to two teenagers and spends weekends ferrying them between sports. She often catches up on study or administration late at night, describing herself as a lifelong learner.

Despite an extensive list of qualifications – including a Masters in Financial Planning, CFP, SMSF specialist status, aged-care accreditation and national awards – Bhullar admits to occasional imposter syndrome, particularly when speaking to academic audiences.

“But advice is leadership,” she says. “Whether you manage people or not, you’re responsible for your clients, your business and how you show up in society.”

As for the future, she’s content staying close to advice.

“I’m less focused on titles,” she says. “If opportunities come that let me keep advising and help shape how advice is delivered, that would be great. But helping people make better decisions with their money – that still feels like enough.”

James Dunn

James is an experienced senior journalist and editor of The Inside Network's publications.