“It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces and take the time to acknowledge the people and businesses making a real difference for their customers every day,” said Baber Zaka, general manager third party banking, Commonwealth Bank. “A special congratulations to Azura Financial on taking out Brokerage of the Year (Over 20 Staff). So well deserved and a fitting recognition of the whole team. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists. A brilliant night with plenty to celebrate!”
Brighten chief executive Jason Azzopardi said: “The Australian Mortgage Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the people driving our industry forward, and it was a pleasure to be part of such a great evening. Congratulations to all winners and nominees. Your dedication and commitment to helping clients achieve their goals continue to set the benchmark for our industry.”
The entertainment went down a treat too. “Kate Ceberano was fantastic,” said NextGen head of broker partnerships Renee Blethyn. “The energy she brought to the night was unforgettable, and for me it mirrored the submissions I had the privilege of judging: extraordinary people building great businesses to serve their clients, with passion, heart and excellence. Congratulations to the winners, and to every nominee.”
Strength in unity
For Mhairi MacLeod JP, principal of Astute Ability Finance Group, the entries showed how far the broker channel has come, from veterans to new entrants.
“Seeing the range of broker applications from those that have been doing it for a long time to the newbies, it was amazing how they’ve all adapted to the changing world in our space,” she said. “Seeing how brokers have adapted to technology, how they’ve adapted to the climate with lending, it certainly shows that this industry is going to be around for a long time.”