Judges

Sinthya, (CPA), Executive (MBA), is a Senior Financial Analyst at Qantas, where she looks after the Regional Workforce Division, providing critical financial insights, supporting and managing key commercial decisions and strategic planning across the wider business.
“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 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, as well as a Judge for multiple Award shows across the Accounting industry, including Accountants Daily, Accounting Reporting Awards, Commercial Finance Awards, & Better Business Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations that have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the industry.

Rex Afrasiabi, the founder of M A Legal, was recognized by Forbes Magazine in 2023 as the top choice lawyer for real estate agencies throughout Australia. With a diverse clientele in the real estate sector, including some of Victoria’s largest real estate offices, Rex has built a wealth of experience and deep knowledge of the industry's inner workings over the years.

Furthermore, Rex co-hosts the real estate-focused business advisory show "Real Estate Renovators," where he has welcomed notable guests from the industry. Rex's expertise has been recognized by leading publications like Forbes, Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Herald Sun, being a guest on numerous podcasts, and he has been a finalist for a number of legal awards.

Renowned for his business acumen, Rex not only navigates clients through complex legal matters and negotiations but also offers strategic guidance for their growth and planning needs. He has been instrumental in assisting both startups and established large agencies in achieving their business goals, and was also recognised by Forbes in 2023 as a top 5 business mentor in Australia.

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 builds systems that help finance brands communicate trust at scale. She is the founder of Social Broker, a content system for mortgage brokers, financial advisers and accountants.

Social Broker blends compliance, creativity, behavioural insight and neuromarketing to turn complex ideas into clear, human communication – so trusted brands can show up consistently, credibly and with impact.

She also created SocialReview.io, which transforms Google reviews into on brand social content, scheduled automatically.

Head of Broker Partnerships
NextGen

Having started her career as a broker, Renee has incredibly valuable insights from her first hand experience now coupled with nearly twenty years in corporate finance in lending and aggregator roles.

She is extremely passionate about the finance industry and the integral role it can play in helping consumers make informed choices to improve their financial wellbeing.

After 7 years at Suncorp, Renee joined NextGen in 2021 as Head of Broker Partnerships, where her deep understanding of brokers’ needs compliment a strong technology focus on optimising innovation in a new era of open banking.

In 2021 Renee was inducted as a Fellow of the FBAA and in 2022, was named in the MPA list of Elite Women.

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.

Ruth has 25+ years experience in the Finance Industry, working in roles specialising in residential and commercial finance. Throughout this period she was regularly awarded for sales delivery and performance success in both Big 4 Banking and Aggregation broking companies.

Ruth founded Moneycatcha Ltd in 2017 to develop solutions to solve the challenges in the mortgage origination journey for consumers in Australia. Since then she has been awarded the Winner of 2019 Fintech Entrepreneur of the Year and AFR Qantas Women of Influence Awards and others, reflecting the growth and success of Moneycatcha Ltd.

She regularly presents at seminars to help educate the industry and share learnings about the exciting potential of these new technologies, as well as mentor other founders to encourage more bravery in financial services innovation.

Peter Lynch is a leader in Professional Indemnity Insurance in the real estate, valuation and management right industry sectors.
He boasts over 30 years’ experience with Aon Risk Solutions and as the Client Manager is responsible for developing new business within the real estate sector including the identification of business opportunities with franchise groups and other stakeholders.
He took a significant role in providing advice and support to introduce a Real Estate specific indemnity insurance scheme and is responsible for the highly successful REIQ/REINT schemes which he coordinated with the assistance of industry, lawyers, underwriters and claims staff.
Peter has a strong interest in promoting safe and quality business practices in real estate and has been a regular contributor to course materials, presentations and editorial submissions. He has been called upon to be a guest speaker at training forums for the REIQ, REIA, REINT, REIWA and various franchise groups.
Peter also provides individual Risk Management training to a number of his Franchise Group clients.

Sascha Moore is a marketing specialist, who focuses on providing highly strategic, creative solutions – predominantly to the financial services and legal industries. Sascha has extensive experience in Australia and the United States with developing effective integrated marketing programs, and directing their implementation. She is now the Director of Create Design & Marketing, a boutique marketing communications agency that fuses solid strategy and powerful designs that directly resonates with a clients’ end markets. This approach creates a true connection: and connection drives results, deepens brand equity and furthers relationships. In addition to her professional obligations, Sascha is actively committed to educating brokers on how to enhance their business through incorporating smart marketing practices.

Professor Fariborz Moshirian is the Director of the Institute of Global Finance (IGF) at the UNSW Business School, Sydney. The IGF does collaborative research on Systemic risk, financial innovation and global financial stability with NYU, UCLA and has done joint work with the Asian Development Bank, the IMF, the World Bank, PwC and a number of world-class research centres. Fariborz was the Bertil Danielsson Professor of Finance at the Stockholm School of Economics. He is a consultant to the Asian Development Bank. He served as the Head of the School of Banking and Finance at UNSW for over four years.

Fariborz has published a number of influential research works in leading international journals including the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and the Journal of Banking and Finance. These research works cover subjects such as global governance, global financial stability and prosperity, interconnectedness, world order, systemic risk and the financial and social challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century.

He has been the editor of several publications on global financial, economic and social issues published by Elsevier. He has also been a co-editor of a number of policy works with senior researchers from the World Bank, the IMF, the Bank for International Settlements, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Bank of England and the Reserve Bank of Australia including the following publications: “Globalization and Financial Services in Emerging Countries”; “Global Financial Crisis, Risk Analysis and Risk Management”; “Systemic Risk, Basel III, Governance and Financial Stability” and “Systemic Risk: Liquidity Risk, Governance and Global Financial Stability”

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. Her 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.

Sam Panetta the BROKER COACH "helping mortgage brokers build valuable businesses"

Andrew Phanartzis is the visionary Director of Property Association, Australia’s boutique consultancy for residential developers. Under his leadership, the firm delivers end-to-end expertise—from site acquisition and strategic planning through creative marketing, sales execution, and ongoing property management—helping clients transform land parcels into thriving communities.
With more than 15 years’ hands-on experience alongside some of the nation’s largest master-planned communities, apartment complexes and house-and-land subdivisions, Andrew has contributed to more than $2 billion in residential projects across the East coast of Australia. His strengths lie in anticipating market shifts, innovating sales strategies, and unlocking hidden value at every stage of the development lifecycle.
A licensed real-estate agent and FS146-qualified financial planner, Andrew holds a BA in Human Resource Management and English from the University of New South Wales. He is celebrated for his unwavering professionalism, unrelenting work ethic and a client-first mentality that consistently delivers above-market returns.

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.

Craig West – Chair & Founder
B. Bus (Mgmt), M. Bus (Acct/Fin), M. Tax Law, DBA, CEPA
Craig West is a strategic accountant with over 25 years of experience advising business owners. His background as a CPA in public practice provided invaluable experience in the key issues of concern to business owners. Following six years of study to gain two master's degrees, Craig focused on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for business sales, advising on strategic management of tax issues. This experience formed a strong view that business owners (and often their advisers) were unprepared and unaware of the steps required to prepare a business for exit.
Craig is now a strategic mentor for mid-market business owners and has written four critically acclaimed books on employee incentives, succession planning, asset protection and exit strategies. Craig has conducted numerous seminars and keynote presentations throughout Australia & internationally, including adviser education programs for the Institute of Chartered Accountants, IOOF and CPA Australia.
Craig’s practice Succession Plus is Australia's largest Business succession and exit planning firm, with offices in every state. It provides advice and strategy for clients preparing their business and finances for a successful exit. Succession Plus launched into the UK market in 2019, in New Zealand in 2020 and in the USA in 2023.
In March 2014, Craig was appointed Executive Chairman of the SME Association of Australia, Australia’s largest small business organisation representing over 300,000 business owners. In October 2014, he was awarded the Exit Planner of the Year at the Exit Planning Institute Annual Conference in Texas, USA, for his innovative development of an exit planning process to help business owners maximise business value and achieve a successful exit.
Craig’s proprietary structure—a Peak Performance Trust—has won the Australia-wide award for the Employee Share Ownership Plan of the Year twice in four years. In November 2018, Craig launched SME Experts in partnership with Mark Bouris’ Mentored on Podcast One and quickly grew the monthly podcast audience to over 26,500 downloads. In October 2019, he released a new podcast focused on medium-sized businesses – “Mid-Market Matters”.
In July 2022, Craig West received the Doctor of Business Administration award for his research thesis titled,
“Examination of the key factors driving business exit options in Australian Small and Medium Enterprises.” Craig is passionate about encouraging business owners to think strategically, maximise the value of their business and achieve a successful exit.

The Exit Planning Institute admitted Craig to the International Exit Planning Circle of Excellence in May 2024.
Media:
Exit Coach Radio – Exit planner of the year interview
Interview with Ben Fewtrell on Business Succession and Exit planning
Ovations Speakers Bureau

As Director of Encore Advisory Group, Mark is well known in the Advice industry and is a highly sort after trainer, educator and coach. Mark has worked with numerous mortgage broking and financial planning businesses enabling them to undertake the key important action of building a successful client advice practice, for the long term.

In 2017, after decades leading Wealth, Broking and Advice businesses, Encore was reimagined to better serve and prepare brokers and planners for the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. Encore believes a better advice business means a better industry and therefore a better community.

Mark delivers practical, real-world solutions helping businesses navigate today’s complex environment whilst providing essential advice, helping to improve the quality and value of their business. This is achieved through partnerships with the right people and solutions thus enabling practices to deliver increasingly valuable advice to more clients.

Believing every Australian deserves advice on “both sides of the balance sheet”, Mark successfully built a mortgage broking business that partnered with over 200 financial planning practices and accounting firms, delivering advice services to over 5,500 Australian families a year.

Mark is known as a leading authority in bringing together Broking and Planning groups to deliver integrated “debt advice” and “broker planner” solutions. He is dedicated to this community as an SME owner himself. Mark is himself a consumer and advocate of Advice services and has led and steered advice businesses successfully through market, regulatory and consumer change and disruption for over 20 years.

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.