Better Business Awards ends with a bang in Melbourne

Run in partnership with NAB, the awards championed the best of the broking industry in Victoria and Tasmania.

As well as celebrating brokers and brokerages, loan administrators, thought leaders, mentors, and business development managers (BDM) were also rewarded for their hard work and dedication.

A total of 171 finalists battled it out for 22 awards, including the coveted Broker of the Year award.

The audience was treated to the comedy stylings of Australian stand-up comedian and emcee Claire Hooper.

Individual awards

Loan Market Geelong director Sarah Thomson was crowned Broker of the Year for achieving year-on-year growth and working chiefly off client referrals and also took home the Best Residential Broker trophy on the night.

Loan Market broker Grant Rheuben from Rheuben & Associates was named the Best Finance Broker for the second year in a row, with judges commending his strong application, knowledge, and experience.

Representing regional Australia, Aussiewide Financial Services (Geelong) mortgage broker Andrew Paterson emerged as Best Regional Broker for employing a strong marketing strategy and mentoring new team members to ensure future business growth.

Mortgage Domayne mortgage broker Ansh Sethi received the New Broker of the Year prize for achieving outstanding results and focusing on service.

The Best Loan Administrator award went to Marquee Group client service manager Jordan Huynh.

The Adviser editor Annie Kane chose Mortgage Choice South Melbourne owner and mortgage broker Paul Williams as the Editor’s Choice award recipient in recognition of his hard work educating clients and the wider consumer market through thought leadership and fostering a happy work environment.

Industry advocates applauded

Property Before Prada founder and managing director Katherine Persoglia was this year’s Thought Leader for changing the way women think about building wealth and purchasing property.

Mortgage Choice state manager for Victoria/Tasmania, Margie Cannizzo, won the Mentor of the Year award for having a positive impact on her mentees.

The Wellness Advocate of the Year was MTA Mortgage Brokers’ director and mortgage broker, Kerry Kalendra, who has been a strong voice on mental health issues in the industry.

Awards showcase BDMs, quality customer service

BDMs were thanked for their relentless service and dedication to brokers at the awards, too.

Best Lender BDM (Bank) award recipient, ANZ BDM Caresse Wake, impressed the judges with her empathetic, broker-first approach to her work.

The Best Lender BDM (Non-Bank) winner and Advantedge Financial Services BDM, Gabrielle Destratis, was praised for providing training, particularly in fraud identification.

Finsure BDM Daisy Yu clinched the Best Aggregator BDM award for a significant surge in brokers and total loans settled.

For her innovative application process and communicating well with clients, Maria Nicoli won the Best Customer Service (Individual) award.

Group awards

The Better Business Awards also celebrated teamwork excellence within brokerage offices.

Director Scott McDonald’s Aussiewide Financial Services had a second reason to cheer after winning the Best Regional Office award for efficient use of marketing strategies and offshore support.

Bundy Financial Services (helmed by Holly Bundy) received the Best Boutique Independent Office award for achieving growth through its psychometric testing and handbook initiatives.

Mount Waverley-based FinancePath (headed by directors Chris Collard and Mark Attard) won the Best Community Engagement Program trophy for involving itself directly with its community.

The Best Large Independent Office award went to Inovayt (headed by managing director Nick Reilly and director Renee Kiley) for using HubSpot to target leads and distribute them to brokers.

Meanwhile, the Best Finance Brokerage (Office) award recipient was JKK Solutions while Marquee Group won the Best New Office award, after recording exceptional growth.

Mortgage Choice Williamstown (owned and operated by Jonathan Lee) was this year’s Best Franchise Office, recognising its strong client service and after-sales care.

Resolve Finance won the Best Customer Service (Office) award for an excellent submission with clear statistics.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Click here to view the full list of winners and finalists.

The Better Business Summit and Awards will return in 2024 with new learnings, while recognising the successes of the broking industry.

[Related: Leading NSW/ACT brokers revealed at Better Business Awards 2023]