Ashley "Lei" Fan is still revelling from her win.
"I'm incredibly proud," Fan told Australian Broker.
And she has good reason to be.
The founder and finance broker behind Melbourne-based brokerage Skylight Funding Solutions took home the Finance Brokers Association of Australia's (FBAA) New Finance Broker of the Year award at the industry body's 2026 Awards of Supremacy, which were recently held in Sydney.
Ashley Fan, center, with FBAA Chief Executive Officer Leo Gagic (right).
With more than a decade of experience across Australia's finance and banking sectors, including more than 10 years at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) in a variety of roles, Fan knows the industry inside and out. But after years of working for others, she decided to take the leap and launch her own brokerage about two years ago.
Fast-forward to today, and Skylight Funding Solutions is making its mark with a broad range of lending solutions spanning residential and commercial broking, car loans and investment properties.
Nine finalists competed for the FBAA's New Finance Broker of the Year award.
Australian Broker caught up with Fan on the ground at the awards to get the inside scoop on her win, uncover the secrets behind her success and find out what makes her, and her business, stand out from the crowd.
"I do focus my business on commercial a lot," she said. "I'm sure every accountant knows like five residential brokers. So what sort of differentiates me from them is [my ability to do] commercial."
The following interview has been edited for grammar and clarity.
AF: It feels a bit unreal, to be honest. I was just looking at the list of nominees, and just seeing my company name there, you know. Just mentioning my company name. I was like, 'Oh, is that really me?' So yeah, it's a bit of a shock. I'm really happy.
AF: I think because my background is commercial banking with the bank. So I do focus my business on commercial a lot. So maybe that's why it gives me a lot of really quality clients, and a good-sized loan book as well, and good stability. My network was already there, having contacts in the finance industry. So I've just built on what I already had.
AF: Yes, I've been busy, relatively busy. It's just me; I'm by myself. So it's busy enough for me to work every day.
AF: It definitely has. But I think it's more under residential [properties]. So fewer people are buying investment properties. On the commercial side, there's still a lot of activity. But a lot of people are, sort of, waiting for the right time to come into the market. There's still a lot of people waiting for the right opportunity, still a lot of activity.
AF: Maybe diversify themselves into commercial broking. Or, at least give commercial a try. I think that is probably what makes me different. What I say to my referrer is that there's so many brokers out there. But what do I do differently? I always suggest nicheing out to commercial, so they remember me more. Because I'm sure every accountant knows like five residential brokers. So what sort of differentiates me from them is [my ability to do] commercial. And when the client knows me and comes to me with commercial, then naturally they will trust me with their residential as well.
