Australia's mortgage and finance industries descended upon Sydney on Thursday, with blue skies overhead and awards firmly on the agenda, for Australian Finance Group’s (AFG) 2026 New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory State Broker Awards at the upscale Ivy Ballroom. Dressed to impress, approximately 280 guests sipped bubbly, mingled and waited to see who would walk away with one of almost two dozen coveted industry awards.
"Who thinks they're going to win today?" Haley Bellamy, NSW/ACT state manager at AFG and MC of the event, teased the crowd at the start.
The awards celebrate the standout achievements of AFG brokers from across the state. The guest list brought together leading brokers, brokerages, lenders, aggregators and industry heavyweights from Westpac, ANZ, Flint Group, Birdie Wealth, Prime Capital, the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), Pepper Money, Rosewood Finance and more.
"It's such a special event in our calendar, just recognising all of our amazing members and how they've served their customers throughout the year," Bellamy told Australian Broker.
"Our members love to celebrate each other," she continued. "There's a great community vibe here in the room. People aren't just here to cheer for their own teams. Everyone's happy to share ideas with each other and they don't treat each other like competitors. They treat each other like community, which is really impressive."
The event eased into things by celebrating the top 50 brokers, then the top 25 and top 10, with detours for best dressed and the most lively table, before getting down to the serious business of handing out the awards.
"The calibre of this year's winners and finalists highlights the depth of talent across our network and the positive impact brokers continue to have on the lives of Australian borrowers," said AFG's Chief Distribution and Marketing Officer Them Lam.
"Our broker network continues to set the benchmark for excellence across the industry, helping Australians navigate increasingly complex lending decisions while delivering exceptional client outcomes," he continued.
The NSW/ACT awards wrapped up AFG’s five-city awards tour, which made stops in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and, finally, Sydney. Across the tour, AFG celebrated brokers from Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory, Queensland, and NSW and the ACT.
And there’s still one more round to go. Winners from each state awards event are now in the running for the national awards, which will follow AFG Next, AFG’s national conference, running from the 9 to 12 of November.
"Everyone in this room is a winner," said Theo Chambers, founder and chief executive officer of Shore Financial, as he accepted the Broker Group of the Year award.
Christian Stevens, cofounder and chief executive officer of Flint Group, added: "It's great that we can come and see people we know and celebrate all the hard work because often it is just that. Everyone's working hard and they don't get 5 minutes to celebrate. And it's always nice to catch up with everyone in the industry; it's great to see so many different people. And it's great to see new faces as well."
Best Broker Personal Loans
Winner: David Blackman, Country 2 Coast Finance
Best Broker of Commercial Loans
Winner: Mina Gergis, Loan Path Finance
Best Broker Asset Finance
Winner: David Blackman, Country 2 Coast Finance
Major Lender of the Year
Winner: Macquarie Bank
Non-major Lender of the Year
Winner: Bankwest
Commercial Lender of the Year
Winner: ANZ
Asset Finance Lender of the Year
Winner: Westpac Group
Major Lender BDM of the Year
Winner: Craig Dunning, Westpac Group
Non-major Lender BDM of the Year
Winner: Jay Ridge, Bankwest
Best Broker Insurance Sales
Winner: Joseph Stolker, Broker Bros
Best Broker Partner Connect
Winner: Nathan Aird, Universal Mortgage Experts
Best Broker Group up to 5 Loan Writers
Winner: Ikaya
Best New Broker
Winner: Ian Sloss, ILS Financial Group
Best New Broker Group
Winner: Loan Path Finance
Regional Broker Group of the Year
Winner: Clarity Home Loans
Regional Broker of the Year
Winner: Ajeesh Thomas, A1 Fincorp
Best Loan Administrator
Winner: Libby Delohery, Picker Financial Solutions
Industry & Community Broker Group of the Year
Winner: McGregor Finance Group
Compliance Excellence Award
Winner: Mecala Hale, Mortgage Managed
Best Solo Operator
Winner: Natasha Bustescu, Wealthstreet Mortgage Brokers
Women on the Move Scholarship
Winner: Amanda Christmann Wyld, Peasy
Broker of the Year
Winner: Janine Wade, Ikaya
Broker Group of the Year
Winner: Shore Financial
