Best in the business: The Adviser Better Business Awards 2018

Kicking off in Brisbane on 15 February, and continuing in Adelaide (22 February), Melbourne (1 March), Sydney (8 March) and Perth (15 March), the Better Business Summit 2018 — partnered by NAB — was a day-long event providing brokers with the productivity tools, training and business intelligence they need to build a profitable business.

Brokers heard from stand-up comedian Anh Do, who walked the audience through his journey from a starving refugee at the age of three to a successful commercial lawyer to one of Australia’s most popular entertainers. Mr Do shared today’s must-use tools to turn an uncertain market into bottom line results.

Nigel Dalton, chief inventor at the REA Group, also delivered an entertaining presentation on the evolution of technology, customer expectations in an always-connected world, and how brokers can apply systems thinking to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing technology landscape.

During a panel discussion on how brokers can capitalise on tomorrow’s lending landscape, NAB’s chief economist, Alan Oster, and ANZ’s head of economics, David Plank, conceded that the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s lending curbs are here to stay, flagging a strong possibility that more macroprudential measures will be introduced this year.

Meanwhile, founder of Banyan Co Stuart Donaldson revealed his top strategies for fast-tracking growth, outlining what areas of business brokers should be focused on as they progress through the three stages of building a brokerage; and Jason Back, managing director at The Australian Lending & Investment Centre, shared actionable insights on establishing efficient and consistent processes for all business activities.

The Better Business Summit was followed by the Better Business Awards, which recognised the best brokers, business development managers, loan administrators and broking offices across Australia.

QUEENSLAND 
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, 15 February

Mark Williams from The Brokerage was crowned Broker of the Year and Best Newcomer for his knowledge of complex residential property scenarios, which enabled him to support his high-net-worth clients with complex property transactions. The broker’s after-sales care was also commended by the judges.

Deslie Taylor of Mortgage Choice Ormeau took home the award for Best Residential Broker, with her personalisation of service recognised as a strong point of difference.

The Rising Star Award went to Renee Tocco of Loanezi, who was commended for her excellent performance in her first few years of broking and for her dedication to supporting charity B1G1 by providing donations for every corporate loan settled.

Madd Loans’ George Samios, who last year took home the awards for Broker of the Year and Best Residential Broker for Queensland, was recognised as Best Innovator for his part in co-creating Trycall, a direct-to-voicemail client management and marketing service.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Convention Centre, 22 February

Keith Caine from Mortgage Choice Glenelg was named South Australia’s Best Residential Broker and Broker of the Year. He was praised by the judges for his commitment to improving the financial literacy of his clients and supporting the local community.

Equatorial Finance Solutions’ Weng Wong won the Best Finance Broker Award for the second year in a row, while Joanne Dillon of Smartline Roxby Downs took home the award for Best Regional Broker once again.

Nani Johnston was named Rising Star this year, clinching the hat trick for Rise High Financial Solutions; while the Best Newcomer award went to Andrew Mudie of Yellow Brick Road Brighton, who was praised by the judges for taking a “comprehensive approach” with his clients, aiming to ensure that they are well informed and fully understanding of the options available to them.

BDMs from AFG, Bank SA and Pepper Money were also honoured for their work.

VICTORIA
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 March

Josh Egan from Astute Melbourne City South/ Gippsland took home two awards: Broker of the Year and Best Finance Broker.

Mark Davis from The Australian Lending & Investment Centre (ALIC), who wrote nearly 1,000 mortgages in 2017 and was crowned the country’s Broker of the Year at the Australian Broking Awards last year, was named Best Residential Broker for the fourth consecutive year.

His brokerage was also recognised as the Best Innovator of the Year.

Sarah Thomson from Loan Market Geelong was named Best Regional Broker, while her brokerage was recognised as Victoria’s Best Regional Office.

Bernard Desmond of Feedback Finance was named Rising Star, and the Best Newcomer Award went to Vikram Kataria from Loan Studio.

BDMs from NAB, PLAN and Pepper Money were also recognised for their work throughout the year.

NEW SOUTH WALES
Hyatt Regency Sydney, 8 March

Alex Veljancevski from Eventus Financial was named NSW’s Best Newcomer and Broker of the Year.

The judges praised Mr Veljancevski for his ethical and diligent approach to broking, which was recognised in testimonials from his clients.

Intelligence Finance’s Justin Doobov was named Best Finance Broker for the third consecutive year, while George Giovas from Axius Partners won the award for Best Commercial Broker.

The award for Best Residential Broker went to Daniel Pym from Loan Market Double Bay, who was recognised for his customer service and business strategy.

Zippy Financial Group’s Louisa Sanghera was named Rising Star, and the office was also honoured for running the Best Community Engagement Program for Ms Sanghera’s business network and small business forum, Connect for Success.

BDMs from AFG, ME Bank and Moula were also awarded for their work in supporting brokers.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Crown Perth, 15 March

Lee Sha Chan from Finance Detective earned the title of Western Australia’s Best Newcomer and Broker of the Year.

The judges applauded Ms Chan’s diligence in providing “the best possible service to her clients”, adding that her “passion is evident”.

The award for Best Finance Broker went to Warrick Greaves from Launch Finance for the second year in a row, while Adam Donald from Capita Finance Solutions was named Best Residential Broker.

Elite Finance Australia’s Matthew Posselt was named Rising Star for his hard work in setting up a new brokerage, leading a team of new brokers and providing seminars to the community on financial literacy and the home buying process.

Nicola Mence from NAB won the award for Best Lender BDM (Bank), while Chantelle Ball from Pepper Money was named Best Lender BDM (Non-Bank).

A word from our sponsor NAB

NAB is proud to once again be the principal partner of this popular event series for brokers.

We understand that the industry is constantly evolving and changing. Brokers are always looking for new opportunities to grow a successful business. NAB is the bank for brokers and is committed to supporting you and the industry for the long term, and this event is another way we demonstrate this commitment.

We have had some outstanding speakers from a range of industries for this year’s event designed to accelerate your sales potential. We hope that this event has inspired you and equipped you with fresh thinking for the year ahead.

Congratulations again to all the awards winners and finalists!

Best in the business: The Adviser Better Business Awards 2018

Tas Bindi

Last Updated: 10 May 2018 Published: 09 May 2018

Written by Tas Bindi

Last Updated: 10 May 2018

Published: 09 May 2018

Tas Bindi

Tas Bindi is the features editor with The Adviser magazine, Australia’s leading magazine for mortgage brokers. She writes about the mortgage broking industry, fintech, financial regulation, and mortgage market trends.  

Prior to joining Momentum Media, Tas wrote for business and technology titles such as ZDNet, TechRepublic, Startup Daily, and Dynamic Business.