The New Broker Academy 2025, run in successful partnership with principal partner Bendigo Bank, recently concluded its highly anticipated ninth annual series of events, leaving a significant mark on Australia’s booming mortgage and finance broking community.
Held across three key cities – Brisbane (Waters Edge, 17 June), Sydney (Le Montage, 19 June), and Melbourne (Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, 26 June) – the free-to-attend conference attracted an impressive registration count of over 800 individuals this year.
This remarkable turnout firmly underscored the continuing attraction of broking as a vital and rewarding career choice for the property-obsessed Australian market.
Designed to equip both new and established brokers with the essential insights needed to forge successful careers, the Academy delivered a jam-packed agenda. The comprehensive program was meticulously structured around four pivotal pillars: lead generation, diversification, business strategy, and technology.
Attendees delved into practical strategies for nailing digital presence and lead generation, building sustainable growth through diversification, cementing lasting referral partnerships, fine-tuning robust business strategies, and embracing cutting-edge technology for enhanced efficiency.
Natalie Sheehan, head of broker distribution from Bendigo, delivered the principal partner welcome, underscoring why broking is such an attractive and in-demand service.
In her speech, she showcased that the majority of home buyers now rely on brokers for their home loan needs due to the valued advice brokers provide, from navigating economic changes to structuring deals correctly and working in clients’ best interests. Sheehan emphasised that lenders, including Bendigo Bank, deeply value a strong and thriving broker channel.
Over the course of the day, brokers heard from high-calibre industry leaders, who shared their expertise, providing invaluable insights across a range of critical topics.
Peter White AM, managing director of the broker association the FBAA, kicked off the Academy by exploring the compelling reasons to enter the broking industry in the current climate. He highlighted how Australia’s severe cost-of-living crisis, persistent inflation, and unrelenting interest rates are driving record numbers of Australians to seek broker assistance. Simultaneously, rapid advancements in technology are empowering brokers to deliver comprehensive, personalised, and streamlined advice.
White delved into how these socioeconomic and technological conditions create a perfect environment for prospective brokers, guiding attendees through a “day in the life of a broker” to help them gauge if this career path is the right fit.
Following the “why”, Leah Hudson, CEO of training provider FARSTA, provided a practical session on the “how” of starting a broking career. She offered an objective macro view of the broking landscape, outlining the necessary qualifications and helping emerging brokers understand the playing field, key players, and win conditions.
Hudson signposted objectives and milestones for the first year, explained different business models, and charted the key players – from industry bodies and aggregators to lenders – to help attendees forge meaningful partnerships and build their support networks.
Prospective brokers particularly valued the sessions and insights from brokerage groups and aggregators, including Mortgage Choice, Aussie, Purple Circle, and Finweb, which unpacked how their respective models support new brokers in building their businesses.
James McCracken, broker growth strategist and founder of The Successful Adviser, provided a critical session on why brokers need to “know their numbers”.
Aside from the credit advice brokers need to know, McCracken noted that they also need to be commercially minded to run successful businesses. He equipped brokers with a roadmap to success, breaking down long-term goals into measurable, achievable milestones. This included reflecting on how many deals they would need to convert and settle to make a profit and reflecting on the kind of business they want to run into the future.
McCracken also outlined core projects for stability and consistency of results and shared key habits and behaviours of top industry brokers to help attendees build confidence, maintain momentum, and avoid common pitfalls in their critical first years.
Success at different stages of the broker journey
A highly anticipated broker panel featured award-winning brokers at various stages of their careers, from those in their first year, a few years in, and seasoned brokers.
This candid fireside session allowed attendees to contrast different approaches to running elite brokerages and gain insights into their own paths forward.
Panellists discussed what makes a sustainable business, the personal challenges of scaling, and how to build the right team.
Many thanks to brokers who shared their journeys: Mortgage Choice brokers Laura Nadal, Hasi Mutluel, and Richard Brown; Aussie brokers Brent Vidler, Katie Norbury, and Dominy Vaughan; plus Aaron Christie-David from Atelier Wealth and Nathan Smith from Birdie Wealth (Queensland & Victoria).
Elite brokers Christie-David (NSW) and Smith (Queensland & Victoria) also led a session on building an unbreakable referral pipeline. They discussed how they identified and built strong referral partnerships with financial advisers, real estate agents, and accountants and how new brokers can build with these professionals. The two brokers also unpacked best practices and addressed common pitfalls in referral partnerships.
Buyer’s agent Julian Fadini followed this session with his own insights as to how he likes to work best with brokers at his property investment advisory business PRPTY360. The licensed real estate agent, qualified financial planner, mortgage broker, and property investment adviser showcased what he looks for in broker partners and how good referral relationships lead to better client outcomes.
Diversification was also a core focus of the day, with leaders revealing how diversification can set brokers apart, provide a full-service offering, and delight clients.
Tom Caesar, group executive at LMG Asset Finance, noted that diversification does not necessarily mean that brokers have to write all types of loans themselves, instead showcasing the different options for referring out loans they aren’t familiar with. For example, Caesar outlined that LMG has a referral exchange program that allows residential brokers to refer out asset finance deals to specialists within the group.
This, he said, enables brokers to provide solutions to many more borrowers. He flagged that LMG also has a comprehensive training program to teach brokers how to write a wide range of finance as well, should they wish to upskill.
Having a diverse range of lenders to choose from was also flagged as an imperative by panellists at the Academy, with Vlad Murphy-Mulcahy from Mortgage Ezy outlining how the mortgage manager can help brokers write self-managed super fund loans and why this niche is booming.
Bizcap senior BDMs Mendy Ash, Nathan Evans, and Mike McCarthy showcased the support and offerings available from the non-bank SME lender, while Andrew Hahn from private lender LEAP Funds discussed how private lenders can write short-term loans, including development finance.
The Academy concluded with a powerful “Resilience Blueprint” session delivered by Rodney ‘Rocket’ Cottam and Chris Paterson. Drawing parallels from military discipline and endurance sport, they explored the principles of perseverance and adaptability, arming brokers with the mindset mastery required for sustained long-term success in both business and life.
Thank you to our partners
