Judges

Rex Afrasiabi is the Director of New Chapter Legal and Bond Property Lawyers, two leading Australian law firms specialising in commercial and property law.

With over 20 years of experience, Rex is recognised as a leading legal adviser for real estate agencies, mortgage brokers, business owners, and entrepreneurs navigating complex legal and commercial matters. Acknowledged by Forbes Australia as one of the country’s top choice lawyers for real estate agencies, Rex acts for some of Victoria’s largest and most successful firms, advising on agency structuring, franchise agreements, rent roll transactions, compliance, litigation, and succession planning.

In 2023, he founded Bond Property Lawyers, now one of Australia’s fastest-growing property law firms. Purpose-built for real estate agents and mortgage brokers, the firm fills a long-standing market gap by offering a bespoke technology platform that delivers real-time transaction updates with a leading legal team. Its unique B2B2C model has driven rapid national growth within just two years.

His thought leadership has appeared in Forbes, The Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Herald Sun, and leading industry podcasts.

Outside of work, Rex values time with his two daughters and credits his family — and the values instilled by his migrant parents — as the foundation for his drive, resilience, and purpose.

Sinthya is a Financial Accountant at BOC South Pacific (Linde), where she leads and manages the end-to-end financial complexities for the South Pacific islands. “The numbers don’t rule, they can inform, but it’s all about us as accountants inside companies having the deep understanding and skills to look at the past and present to help predict and shape the future.”

She is passionate, and a high calibre professional, recently got featured in “ Integrated Report FY23 of CPA Australia”, and was drawn to accounting as a profession, because it gives wider business exposures. She further leads multiple projects, protecting and serving the public interest by ensuring that investors and other stakeholders have materially accurate financial statements and other reliable information on which to base decisions.

Additionally, Sinthya is an Adjudicator for Australasian Reporting Awards, also as a Judge for Accountants Daily, Accounting Reporting Awards assessing annual reports using widely distributing criteria based on world best practices, and recognition of good reporting practices.

Jason is the Director of Broker Essentials and is Australia’s leading Mortgage Broker Mentor and sort after media commentator. In 2016 Jason foundered Broker Essentials and launched a training program for brokers after years of inquiries into the best practices and habits of a high-performance business.

Jason was named 2021 Mentor of the Year at The Adviser Better Business awards, 2021, APAC Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 - Financial Services, ABA 2020 Mentor of the year, and AMA 2020 Service provider of the year. He was the Managing Director of The Australian Lending & Investment Centre (ALIC) and has been instrumental in taking ALIC to the forefront of the mortgage brokering industry. In 2014,15,16 and 2017 ALIC was voted the top independent brokerage of the year by Mortgage Professional Australia, Australia’s best brokerage in 2014 & 15 at the Australian Mortgage Awards and MFAA in 2016 and 2018.

Jason has over 30 years’ experience in the finance sector, having worked in senior sales, distribution and management roles for ANZ and having provided financial advice and services on behalf of financial planning, equity trading platforms, private banking, lending and retail distribution brands.

More details can be found on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-back-broker-essentials/ and at Broker Essentials www.brokeressentials.com.au

Sarah Barnett is the founder of content marketing solutions Social Broker and socialreview.io, which helps busy finance and property professionals get noticed online.
Sarah previously headed up marketing and innovation for a leading behaviour change consultancy where she spearheaded data-driven solutions for big banks, insurers, telcos and energy retailers. She has deep insight into the sales and marketing behaviours that high-performers consistently demonstrate to win and retain business.

As Head of Broker Partnerships at NextGen, Australia’s trusted technology provider with over 25 years of industry leadership, I champion the voice of brokers within our business. I lead the strategic integration of broker priorities into our innovation roadmap and solutions, ensuring they are shaped by the needs of brokers and their clients.

With more than 20 years of experience across financial services, including deep expertise in Retail Banking, broking, lending, and aggregation, I have a strong understanding of the industry's challenges and opportunities. I work closely with broker groups, aggregators, and the broader broking community to foster collaboration, enable transformation, and drive better outcomes across the lending ecosystem.

I’m passionate about the critical role finance plays in supporting Australians' financial wellbeing—and believe that by empowering brokers, we help more people make informed, confident financial decisions.

I’m proud to be a Fellow of the FBAA and was recognised in MPA’s Elite Women list in 2022.

After a 20-year career in Advertising and Media, Richard Brown transitioned into mortgage broking in late 2023, bringing with him a wealth of experience in client relationships, marketing, and strategic thinking. He’s successfully leveraged his previous career to fast-track the growth of his brokerage, building a strong client base of first home buyers, upsizers, and property investors.
Known for his energy, positivity, and standout customer service, Richard’s clients consistently praise his clear communication and dedication in his Google reviews. Passionate about the mortgage industry, he thrives on the challenge of building a new business and is driven by a genuine desire to help clients achieve their property goals—whether that’s buying a first home or expanding an investment portfolio.

Trent Carter is a seasoned finance professional with over 20 years of experience in banking, lending, and SME finance. As a founding partner of Accendo Financial and the Managing Director of Provident Lending and Business Solutions, he has built a thriving brokerage and developed a reputation for bridging the gap between lenders and business owners. His expertise lies in demystifying SME financials, empowering brokers with practical strategies, and fostering deeper client relationships to drive business success.
As an educator, Trent has played a key role in expanding Accendo Financial’s reach, partnering with major lenders, aggregators, and industry associations to deliver impactful training programs. Known for his engaging and practical teaching style, he equips finance professionals with real-world insights to navigate commercial lending with confidence. Trent’s commitment to education and mentorship makes him a highly sought-after facilitator, ensuring participants walk away with the tools they need to succeed in SME finance.

Bernard Desmond is the Founder and CEO of Blank Financial, one of Australia’s fastest-growing mortgage broking businesses built on a simple belief: ambitious brokers deserve the freedom to focus on relationships while a world-class support team handles the rest.
Arriving in Australia with no network, no shortcuts, and no handouts, Bernard built his career from the ground up through determination, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for others. Today, he leads an award-winning brand that is helping brokers across Australia scale their businesses, write more loans, and build meaningful careers under the Blank Financial banner.
With over a two decade of experience in the mortgage and finance industry, Bernard has become known for his innovative approach to broker partnerships, business growth, and personal branding. His vision is to create Australia’s most broker-centric platform - combining industry-leading support, marketing, technology, and community to help brokers achieve more than they ever could alone.
A passionate mentor, speaker, and entrepreneur, Bernard regularly shares his journey of building a national business from a blank page, inspiring others to embrace opportunity, back themselves, and think bigger.

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity - and that’s where you’ll find us.”
Bernard Desmond, Founder & CEO, Blank Financial

Adam Franklin is the author of Web Marketing That Works — an Amazon #1 best seller. He is a professional speaker, marketing coach and CEO of Bluewire Media. Accolades include being named Australia’s #1 business blog, #7 LinkedIn Expert in Asia Pacific and #9 on Entrepreneur magazine’s top marketing podcasts. Adam’s work has featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, The Australian, and the Sydney Morning Herald. Adam helps businesses win high-value clients via LinkedIn. He teaches 1000s of students via his online courses and coaching programs and his weekly ‘Bluewire News’ email goes out to over 35,000 business owners worldwide.

I am the founder of The Dubs - the digital marketing and media agency for the finance sector globally.

My job is to oversee the agency's offices in London, Singapore and Sydney with an eye to further expansion.

I love being involved in our clients' strategies and make sure I find time to provide input and advice in this evolving process with them.

I'm also the publisher of our industry publication The Financial Marketer, which delivers the latest trends and leading insights on the issues facing marketers, comms teams and executives in the banking and finance world.

I make time each year to participate as a judge in industry awards as I believe it's important to contribute and am privileged to observe first-hand the best that's being developed by the industry.

Professor Rahat Munir is the Head of Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance, Macquarie University. He is FCA, FCPA and PhD. Professor Munir is internationally acclaimed for his engagement with industry-driven curriculum and has been at the forefront of leading development and change initiatives. He is also forensic accounting specialist with financial crime investigative skills. He has pioneered innovative learning and teaching (L&T) practices, academic standards & accreditations. He maintains strong ongoing relationships with external stakeholders, including professional associations, universities and communities - Universities in China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe. He has served on the panel for Faculty/Course Reviews of various Universities in Australia and New Zealand. With his strong engagement with industry, he leads CFO Forum, Industry Academic Series, Thought Leadership and Business Leaders Roundtables. He has written over 100 peer reviewed journal articles, conference papers, books, book chapters, monographs and commissioned reports, and over 50 publications for professional and lay audiences. Although the bulk of his research focuses on management accounting and controls, he has also published in important cognate areas such as education, CSR, corporate governance, corporate culture and research expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Professor Munir has delivered scores of invited/keynote presentations, and his expert opinions has been featured in radio, television, newspapers, newsletters, and web outlets. He is affiliated with several professional bodies including the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, Professional Risk Managers International Association, USA, American Accounting Association, British Accounting Association, Canadian Accounting Association and European Accounting Association. Professor Munir serves on various high-level Committees and Advisory Boards. Professor Munir’s sustained excellence in teaching and research has been recognised through international awards.

At Auctus, my team and I help brokers focus on what they do best by building businesses that run efficiently, profitably, and sustainably. We don’t teach brokers to generate leads or more business; we help you create the systems, teams, and processes that give you the time and space to grow.

A 24-year veteran of customer service & experience, it's safe to say that Andy is too old to understand what words like rizz & skibidy mean, and still can't quite understand the significance of 6-7.

However, when it comes to understanding what it is that consumers actually need from us, Andy has a depth of appreciation that has shown how the industry needs to evolve in order to remain relevant to today's customers.

With a focus on success and a geek-level obsession around human behaviour, Andy isn't afraid to ask questions about an industry that can't seem to get past a similar set of challenges.

Although he has various awards on the sales side of the fence, Andy has helped countless property managers & rent roll owners through some of their biggest challenges, having assisted in the building of PM businesses himself.

& as a published author of his first book 'Success Curious', Andy is locked in on making the world feel good again, with practical optimism & a new energy that helps people to understand not just what they are, but more importantly who they are in both business and life.

Brett is a second-generation mortgage stalwart, having been actively involved in the Mortgage & Finance industry for over 30 years after starting his career working at the family-owned lender Interstar (now Advantedge). He then went onto to run the Stargate Group where he pioneered outsourced mortgage processing services by creating the first BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) operation for Mortgage Brokers and was instrumental in introducing the first Mortgage Broker CRM Systems in the early 2000’s, used by over 5000 mortgage brokers prior to its acquisition by then ASX listed Rubik Financial Limited (RFL).

Brett set about using AI to build supportive systems for mortgage participants, building the first Responsible Lending platform at Opica Group, and now as founder & CEO of Docuscan Australia he is building industry leading platforms for Brokers, Lenders and Mortgage Professionals using his vast experience in the latest AI technologies to Eliminate Data Entry using Drag & Drop Data Capture and Document Fraud Detection solutions to facilitate digital customer acquisitions.

Brett also serves on the Board of an advisory services firm, a responsible lending technology firm, a new to market fintech lender specialising in loans to Australia’s front-line responders and has been an investor and advisor to lenders, aggregators and regulators in Australia and abroad.

Pete Williams is a noted thought leader in Innovation and Digital. Pete started working in the Digital realm in the early 1990’s and went on to be the founding partner of Deloitte Digital. Pete now leads Deloitte’s Centre for the Edge a futures think tank that identifies emerging opportunities arising from digital and social trends. Pete is also an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University – School of Management