The 2023 Australian Mortgage Awards are fast approaching, and the mortgage and finance industry is abuzz with anticipation.
This highly anticipated event is set to be a complete sell-out, with close to 700 tickets already sold.
However, bookings for seating and tables of up to 10 people can still be made through the Australian Mortgage Awards (AMA) website.
While the black-tie gala dinner will be hosted by comedian Merrick Watts in the heart of Sydney at the Star Event Centre, the industry’s best lenders, brokers, brokerages, aggregators, and BDMs from across Australia will gather together in a truly national event.
For example, finance specialist Kirsty McKinnon (pictured above left) will be attending the ceremony after she was named an excellence awardee for the NAB Broker of the Year – Regional award.
“It’s always a good night to get dressed up and catch up with industry peers,” said McKinnon who is also named in MPA’s Elite Women list.
After working as a salaried broker for eight years, McKinnon decided to start her own brokerage, Flair Finance, in June 2021.
Flair Finance operates out of Dubbo, NSW, which serves as the hub of its rural region in the northwest NSW. The region, which boasts a population of approximately 50,000, has faced the challenges of both drought and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The award provides great recognition for the hard work of my team,” McKinnon said. “Given how close we are to our clients locally, it also is favourably received by the local community and other local business owners, as it brings some recognition to the regional area.”
While McKinnon was nominated for several awards – including the MFAA’s Young Professional Awards and the Western NSW Regional Business Awards for Most Outstanding Start Up – her greatest achievement has been “the number of clients whose lives we have changed from the loans we settle”.
“Saying that, I still think the industry recognition I get from the AMAs is really important as it helps build trust with customers.”
However, McKinnon is up against some stiff competition from her fellow excellence awardee finalists in her category, which include: Mortgage Choice’s Duane Mengel, Hubbl.it’s Jarred Spurr, and Paul Financial’s Paul Nelson.
Last year’s finalists, Loan Market’s Liz McRae and Go Mortgage’s Xavier Quenon have also been honoured again while the 2022 Australian Mortgage Award winner Money Links’ Brenden Lowbridge hopes to go back-to-back.
GSC Finance Solutions’ Matthew Turner, Red10 Finance’s Nick Smith, and Woodgate Finance’s Vincent Woodgate round out the prestigious list.
This vast and unique coverage means that the Australian Mortgage Awards will honour both the industry’s new and experienced.
For example, Vincent Moore (pictured above right), director of Entourage Mornington on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, was named as an excellence awardee for the Bankwest New Brokerage of the Year after only a year since he launched his brokerage.
“I definitely didn't see this coming,” Moore said. “We only opened the office late last year and to be recognised as a finalist within the first 12 months was a great surprise.”
Having also worked in the industry for a decade, Moore said he made it a priority to develop strong and trusted relationships with clients and people in the industry.
“I believe that personal touch is key in these early days so between my staff and I, we've intentionally spent a lot of time on the phone and meeting with people to ensure they know we're here and ready to help,” Moore said.
Having seen Damien Rowlance go through the process with the Entourage broker group, Moore said he knew industry recognition was important in those first few years to “establish credibility and momentum”.
“I will be attending the AMA ceremony with some of my team to continue networking and building relationships.”
Moore will be up against Cinch Loans, Resolve Finance – Nedlands, and The Happy Finance Company - all who pushed their case for the prestigious award in recent weeks.
Trusted Financial, Choice Lending Hub Co., Kiri McNamara - Loan Market, and Core Finance Company round out the nominees.
While the guests make the night one to remember, the 2023 Australian Mortgage Awards couldn’t happen without the event sponsors.
Organised by Key Media and supported by Australian Broker and Mortgage Professional Australia, the Australian Mortgage Awards will again have the backing of event partner Westpac for the 14th consecutive year.
NAB and PRPTY 360 are premium partners, while FINSTREET is the VIP post awards event sponsor, and Fifo Capital is photo booth sponsor and Maxiron Capital is the social media sponsor.
Julian Fadini, founder of PRPTY 360, which is also the champagne sponsor, said he can’t wait for the event.
“We are proud to support this great night and our broker channel,” Fadini said.
Other sponsors include Adelaide Bank, ANZ, Bankwest, Bluestone Home Loans, Commonwealth Bank, Equity-One, FBAA, Firstmac, Gateway Bank, Hays, La Trobe Financial, LBH, Liberty, MFAA, Mortgage Choice, OnDeck, Pepper Money, PropTrack, Q2, Rate Money, Resimac and ubank.
The event starts at 7pm with drinks and networking, followed by a three-course dinner and awards presentation. At 10. 5pm, the mood turns to leisure for dancing, with live music from entertainment sponsor SongDivision until midnight.
For additional details and ticket sales, please visit the Australian Mortgage Awards website.
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