A LoanOptions.ai executive who credits a National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) video with prompting her surgery has co-hosted a broking industry breakfast that raised $3,829 for the charity.
Elle Carrasco (pictured left), head of novated leasing at LoanOptions.ai, ran the Pink Ribbon Breakfast with Nicole Mann (pictured right), NSW and ACT state manager at the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA). The event was held during Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Maestria Restaurant & Bar in Rhodes, Sydney, on Thursday 22 October, and attracted 57 brokers, lenders, and industry partners.
Ticket sales, a raffle, and donations made up the total, which will go to the NBCF. The charity estimates that one in seven Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Since 1994, it has invested more than $200 million in over 600 projects, according to the NBCF’s research projects page.
For Carrasco, whose company was founded by 2025 FBAA Industry Champion of the Year Julian Fayad, the morning carried personal weight.
“A video from the National Breast Cancer Foundation stopped me mid-scroll once, and it changed the course of my story,” Carrasco said. “It led to me having surgery and probably saved my life.”
She thanked everyone who bought a ticket, donated or brought a colleague along. Their support, she said, would help fund work that could change another person’s outcome.
The NBCF’s advice echoes her experience: the foundation encourages Australians to become familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel and to see their GP promptly if they notice any changes.
Mann said the turnout reflected the strength of the broking community.
“We swapped our usual networking catch-up for something more meaningful, and the industry absolutely delivered,” she said.
Brokers spend their days helping clients reach their goals, Mann said, and the morning showed that same generosity turned towards breast cancer research. She thanked attendees, sponsors, and Carrasco, whom she described as a driving force behind the event.
Those who missed the breakfast can still give through the LoanOptions.ai and FBAA Pink Ribbon Breakfast fundraising page, which stays open until 19 November.
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