MFAA kicks off 2019 awards season

Brokers, BDMs, lenders and aggregators were recognised in the first round of the MFAA Excellence Awards last night.

Kicking off the annual awards season, the NSW State Excellence Awards were held at Hilton Sydney, with hundreds of industry professionals in attendance.

MFAA CEO Mike Felton said, “After a year of challenges for our industry, it is phenomenal to be able to shine a light on the positive influence of our members and the terrific work they do to ensure Australians benefit from a healthy marketplace that continues to drive competition, choice and access to credit.”

Winners were recognised across 18 categories, with specific focus on customer service, professionalism, innovation and ethics.

“These awards provide an opportunity to celebrate our industry as a whole, which despite significant headwinds, has continued to grow in market share over this past year. Of course, this is no accident, but a testament to the hard work and dedication our industry professionals display each and every day by continuing to help to put people in homes and to invest in properties and business opportunities,” Felton added.

The awards followed the first day of the MFAA’s latest roadshow, titled ‘New Era. New Thinking,’ which will tour the country over the coming weeks. Following on from the last roadshow series in February and March, this event sets the industry’s agenda moving forward, with specific focus on upskilling brokers for what lies ahead, post royal commission.

“This year our members came together in an unprecedented fashion to campaign against proposed changes to remuneration that threatened the future of our industry. The industry has been enormously supportive of the MFAA’s Don’t Kill Competition campaign, amongst others, to ensure that our industry’s voice was heard,” Felton said.

“It is wonderful to see that despite all the additional work, our members not only maintained their commitment to excellent customer service, they actually enhanced it. This is a mark of the professionalism and commitment of our members who never fail to put their customers first,” he added.

The NSW state winners from May 2, were:

1. Business Development Manager Award – Lender/Support Service Provider - Denya Dean (Bluestone)
2. Equipment Finance Broker Award – Aaron Greffenius (Loan Market – Picton)
3. Young Professional Award – Russell Munfaredi (Mortgage Pros)
4. Newcomer Award – Cullen Haynes (Legal Home Loans)
5. Business Development Manager Award – Aggregator – David Vizza (Finsure Finance & Insurance)
6. Residential Finance Broker Award - Gary Owen (Mortgage Choice – Port Macquarie)
7. Commercial Finance Broker Award – Kevin Wheatley (Bayside Residential and Commercial Mortgages)
8. Customer Service Award – Individual – Louisa Sanghera (Zippy Financial Group)
9. Community Champion Award – Mhairi MacLeod (Astute Ability Group)
10. Regional Finance Broker – Michael Gavan (Innovative Finance)
11. Loan Administrator Award – Priscilla Tan (SF Mortgage Services)
12. Finance Broker Business Award – Mortgage Choice – Blaxland, Penrith & Glenmore Park
13. Customer Service Award – Business – Equilibria Finance
14. Diversified Business Award – Keystone Financial
15. Non-Major Lender Award – Bankwest
16. Major Lender Award – ANZ
17. Mutual/Specialty Lender Award – Pepper Money
18. Fintech Lender Award – Prospa

The awards were sponsored by AFG, AMP, ANZ, Bluestone, Commonwealth Bank, Connective, Macquarie Bank, NAB, NextGen.Net, Pepper Money, Prospa, QBE and Teachers Mutual Bank.

“It was a privilege to recognise all the award finalists and my congratulations go to those who emerged victorious in their respective categories,” Felton commented. 

The MFAA National Roadshow continues throughout May and June, visiting Adelaide on May 9, Perth (May 16), Brisbane (May 30) and Melbourne (June 6).