Mortgage and finance broking businesses are being invited to apply for a new round of She Means Business, a funded initiative aimed at helping small businesses create more opportunities for women, after participants in the inaugural program reported meaningful shifts in leadership, visibility and workplace culture.
The program is delivered by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), with the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) participating and consultancy Akin supporting delivery. Successful applicants can receive up to $7,000 in tailored support to put their ideas into action, with applications closing 17 September 2026.
Melanie Kafka (pictured), MFAA executive, member experience and partnerships, said the pilot showed the value of a flexible approach rather than a fixed template.
"This isn't about a one-size-fits-all program. It is about helping businesses identify the barriers they are facing and giving them the tools and support to create lasting change," Kafka said.
The program comes against a backdrop of stalled progress on gender balance in broking: female representation among Australian brokers sits at just 26.8%, a figure that has hovered near 27% since 2017, according to MFAA's Industry Intelligence Service report.
Feedback from the first cohort points to a broad range of outcomes rather than a single formula for success.
Jade Fang, partner at Marl, joined the program during a period of growth and organisational restructuring, using it to sharpen the leadership skills needed to steer a more complex business.
"She Means Business came at a very important transition point for me personally and for the business," Fang said.
Tripti Goyal, associate director at Trusted Financial Choice, used the program to build her profile as a leader and pursue further education, while also progressing the launch of Oriri Finance, a new broking business focused on women's financial literacy.
"One of the biggest things this program gave me was the courage to step forward and be visible," Goyal said.
Kafka has previously linked this kind of stalled progress to career-stage barriers rather than recruitment, saying the challenge is "often less about attracting women into the industry and more about supporting them through key career transitions, particularly into business ownership and senior leadership."
The program isn't limited to women-led businesses.
BRP Finance managing director and senior mortgage broker Heath Brunn took part to widen conversations around diversity, including LGBT+ perspectives, and came away with refreshed marketing, new video content and stronger industry connections.
Kafka said the range of experiences across the pilot reinforced that there's no single blueprint for progress.
"It might involve developing stronger leaders, improving workplace culture, creating new career pathways or increasing the visibility of women across the industry," she said, adding that the focus is on giving businesses practical, sustainable support to act on their own priorities.
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