Industry stars gather at awards night

Finance brokers and organisations attended an awards night last week to celebrate the industry's best.

The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia's (MFAA) National Excellence Awards was held at the Crown in Melbourne on Thursday 26 July.

The industry association also chose to award three key industry leaders with Life Member status in recognition of their dedication, contribution and service to our industry and the MFAA.

The awards are the culmination of the MFAA's National Roadshow conferences and State Excellence Awards ceremonies, which were held across five capital cities over the last two months.

They are designed to reward excellence in customer service, professionalism, innovation and ethics.

MFAA CEO, Mike Felton, said it was an exciting year for the awards with a record number of submissions, 650-plus, and the opportunity to publicly acknowledge people who had helped shape a successful industry with Life Membership of the Association.

He said, "Thank you to all our members who took the time to create a submission in a period where the industry is experiencing ongoing reviews and continuing scrutiny.

"It is a positive sign for the industry to see so many of our members commit their time to write a submission and seek to be awarded as national winners in all of the categories after competing for this recognition in each state.

"It is also important to acknowledge and thank three key leaders of our industry who have worked tirelessly over decades to develop and support our industry and Association.

“On behalf of the entire industry, I’d like to acknowledge Mark Lewis of Bernie Lewis Home Loans, James Symond of Aussie and Joe Sirianni of Smartline, and congratulate them on being awarded MFAA Life Membership.”

Symond, Aussie CEO, said he was "extremely honoured" to receive the recognition. He was former president of the MFAA between 2007 and 2009, overseeing the group during the global financial crisis.

He said, "When I think back over the last 27 years I’ve really grown up in this business, and I love it. While there may be some headwinds that we’ll face over the next few years, we can’t forget that we have a really great industry that drives competition in home lending and delivers exceptional outcomes for customers. Together with the MFAA, I’m confident our industry will continue to thrive.”

The 20 individual awards handed out during the ceremony, audited by Hall Chadwick, recognised the high levels of expertise and professionalism that members of the MFAA provide when servicing customers across the country.

The awards are judged by industry experienced professionals based on selected criteria, and not on revenues alone, to ensure that brokers in all locations can be winners, including those in regional and rural Australia.

Felton added, "These individual awards also acknowledge the diversity of our membership, and represent a great opportunity for individuals and businesses to be recognised for their achievements and innovation in what is unquestionably a highly competitive environment.

“I would like to thank the many industry professionals who provided their expertise and valuable time to judge the awards to help recognise the best in our industry.”

Award winners:

Suncorp Loan Administrator Award – Hume Leow

Entourage Finance Commonwealth Bank Customer Service Award (joint winners) – Holly Bundy, Bundy Financial Services and Rise High Financial Solutions

RateSetter Motor Vehicle and Equipment Finance Broker Award – Josh Egan, Astute – Melbourne City South/Gippsland

ANZ Commercial Finance Broker Award – Kevin Wheatley, Bayside Residential and Commercial Mortgages

Teachers Mutual Bank Community Champion Award – Mhairi MacLeod, Astute Ability Group

Prospa Diversified Business Award – Rise High Financial Solutions

Pepper Money Newcomer Award – Renee Tocco, Loanezi

Connective Young Professional Award – Aaron Christie-David, Atelier Wealth

Bluestone Mortgages Business Development Manager Award – Aggregator – Andrew Stone, Astute Financial Management

NextGen.Net Business Development Manager Award – Lender/Support Service Provider – Roberto Sanz, Prospa

Macquarie Bank Aggregator Award – FAST– Finance & Systems Technology

PEXA Support Service Provider Award - ALI Group

Australian Broker Fintech Lender Award – Prospa

MPA Magazine Mutual/Specialty Lender Award – Pepper Money

QBE Non Major Lender Award – Bankwest

Genworth Major Lender Award – ANZ

ANZ Finance Broker Business Award: 2-5 Loan Writers – Astute Ability Group

AMP Bank Finance Broker Business Award: 6+ Loan Writers –The Australian Lending & Investment Centre

Nodifi Regional Finance Broker Award – Julian Collins, Mortgage Choice – Toowoomba & Darling Downs

Commonwealth Bank Residential Finance Broker Award – Mark Davis, The Australian Lending & Investment Centre