Australia's mortgage and finance industry's top performers flocked to the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney's central business district Thursday night for the annual celebration of New South Wales and Australian Capital Territories finest.
“The New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory finalists and winners reflect the high standards, professionalism and adaptability that continue to define the broker channel,” Anja Pannek, chief executive officer of the MFAA. “In a lending environment that continues to evolve, brokers play an increasingly important role helping clients navigate complexity and make informed financial decisions with confidence.”
Indeed, amid an increasingly complex lending environment — one that is marked by higher interest rates and inflationary pressures, a stubborn housing shortage and global conflict — borrowers are turning to brokers for their support more and more. According to the MFAA's latest report on broker market share, brokers wrote 81% of all residential home loans in the most recent quarter.
Against that backdrop, Pannek said selecting this year's winners was no easy task.
“The quality of submissions this year highlighted the depth of expertise and commitment across the New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory broking community, particularly in delivering strong client outcomes and trusted guidance," the CEO explained.
Bob Masalkovski, MFAA state manager for NSW and ACT, added that this year's event in Sydney sold out six weeks in advance, underscoring the prestige of the MFAA Awards as one of the industry's highest honours.
"The MFAA Excellence Awards are about much more than recognising individual achievement. They bring together some of the industry's highest performing mortgage and finance brokers, businesses and professionals in one room, creating an environment where people can learn from each other, share ideas and be inspired," Masalkovski told Australian Broker.
"Success leaves clues, and there is real value in surrounding yourself with people who are achieving great things," he continued. "Hearing their stories, celebrating their success and building those connections motivates others to lift their own performance. Events like these strengthen our profession because they create a community where excellence is celebrated and shared."
Edison Xie, AFG
Bella Minns, Deposit Power
Louisa Sanghera, Zippy Financial
Michael Fazzolari, Medx Finance
Louisa Sanghera, Zippy Financial
John Pastega, Australian Finance Hub
Nikhil Goyal, Finance for Tomorrow
Kirsty Mckinnon, Flair Finance
Katie Thomas, Focus Finance
Azura Financial
Front Financial
Azura Financial
Macquarie Bank
Teachers Mutual Bank Limited
Bridgit
Winners were determined through an independent judging process. Results were verified by Hall Chadwick to ensure transparency and fairness, the MFAA said.
Ian Rakhit, general manager home buy distribution at Bankwest, said the business, which is a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), is "thrilled to be recognised at the MFAA Awards, an important celebration of excellence in the mortgage industry."
He added that the recognition "is received with pride and gratitude and is a credit to our hardworking colleagues, their commitment to getting brokers and customers the right outcomes and building strong relationships across the industry. We have big goals focussed on supporting more Australians into homes. These goals have driven strong momentum in FY26."
Barry Saoud, chief executive, mortgages and commercial lending at non-bank lender Pepper Money, said winning is something the whole Pepper Money team is proud of. It recognises the consistent work our people do to support brokers with practical solutions, responsive service and a genuine focus on helping more customers to succeed. What makes it particularly meaningful is that it’s judged by our industry peers. It reflects the trust we’ve built with brokers and the role we play in helping them deliver for their customers every day.
"Events like the MFAA State Excellence Awards play an important role in our industry," Saoud continued. "They recognise the people and businesses delivering strong customer outcomes, shine a light on new ideas and bring the industry together to share knowledge and strengthen relationships. For us, it’s also a valuable opportunity to listen, learn and keep raising the standard for brokers and their customers.”
Wendy Brown, head of broker sales at Macquarie Bank, said the bank's win in the lender category is "a reflection of the relationships we've built over many years and the trust our broker partners place in us every day.
"The recognition is a credit to the teams behind the scenes who make this experience possible," she continued. "Our BDMs, credit, operations and technology teams work closely with brokers, listen to their feedback and turn those insights into practical improvements. It’s that mindset of continuous improvement that has helped us grow alongside our broker partners over many years.
"Industry events, like the MFAA State Excellence Awards, are important because they recognise the people and businesses raising the bar across the sector," Brown added. "They provide an opportunity to recognise the increasingly important role brokers play in helping Australians achieve homeownership and to strengthen the relationships that continue to drive the industry forward."
