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The major brokerage has announced that it has recruited more female mortgage brokers than male ones for the first time in its 27-year history.
According to the broker brand, during the 2019 financial year, 51 per cent of new Aussie retail loan writers and franchisees were women.
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The achievement was made despite the number of female brokers in the industry having declined. According to figures from the MFAA’s most recent Industry Intelligence Survey (covering 1 April 2018 - 30 September 2018), the number of female brokers in the industry declined by 33 people, despite an overall increase in broker numbers – with the proportion sitting at around 27 per cent.
Speaking of Aussie’s recruitment milestone, Aussie’s general manager of people and culture, Lynda Harris, commented: “We have been working towards a closer gender balance for some time, and it’s really gratifying to see the numbers reflecting our efforts with record levels of female brokers joining our team over the last 12 months.
“We’re proud to be bucking the trend in the industry, but we’re also well aware more needs to be done so we can not only continue to attract the right women to mortgage broking, but keep, support and enable them so they start, grow and lead successful businesses,” she said.
Given that mortgage broking is commission-based, it is one of the few financial services professions that does not suffer from a gender pay gap. Further, many women are attracted to mortgage broking because of its flexibility, Ms Harris said.
Belinda Woodley, co-franchisee of two Aussie stores in SA, agreed that mortgage broking is a fantastic business path for women looking for flexibility and a rewarding career.
“I really enjoy running a business, helping my customers and investing in building an exceptional team around me.
“I started with Aussie as a mobile broker over a decade ago, and I now co-own two Aussie stores. It’s incredible where this journey has taken me and what you can achieve with the backing of a great business partner," she said.*
Celebrate the leading women in finance, including the top female mortgage brokers, at Momentum Media's 2019 Women in Finance Awards, run in partnership with AMP Bank.
The Women in Finance Awards, now in its third year, is a national awards program designed to put a spotlight on the strength, diversity and innovation female leadership brings to professional and financial services in Australia.
This year, across 26 categories, 232 finalists have been shortlisted for awards. You can view the full list of finalists here.
The winners will be announced at the awards evening, a five-star gala dinner that will be held in Sydney on 1 August, is designed to be an unparalleled networking event for the top mortgage brokers, financial advisers, accountants and banking executives in the country.
*This story was updated on 9/07/2019 to include the comments of Belinda Woodley
[Related: Finalists revealed for Women in Finance 2019]
