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WOMEN IN FINANCE MONTH: Sarah Thomson and Paulette Trotter have been named as Loan Market’s top-performing brokers in Australia and New Zealand, marking the first time that women have taken out the top spots in both countries.
Loan Market Geelong managing director Sarah Thomson was named the brokerage group’s top-performing broker this year, after settling more than $145 million in the last 12 months (18 per cent more than last year).
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Her broking business of 13 staff, which happens to be all female, was also named among Loan Market’s top 10 businesses this year.
Meanwhile, Auckland-based broker Paulette Trotter took home New Zealand’s top broker title at the group’s recent virtual awards gala, after settling more than NZ$165 million ($156 million equivalent).
Ms Trotter was also crowned the top international broker, having settled more than any other broker in the Loan Market group in the last year.
This marks the first time that Loan Market’s top performing brokers in Australia and New Zealand have been women.
Speaking of the achievement, Loan Market executive chairman Sam White said: “I’m so proud to see Sarah, Paulette and many others who have taken women to the front of the class in broking.
“It will inspire more women to take up broking as a career, and the industry will be better off for that.”
He continued: “Irrespective of the industry, gender should no longer be an obstacle to success.”
Leading Ladies
Speaking to The Adviser in an interview on Friday (13 November) during Loan Market’s Leading Ladies event (the group's forum which encourages women to share strategies and develop bigger business), Ms Thomson and Ms Trotter both said that being named the leading Loan Market broker in their respective countries was a career highlight, but noted the importance of having a strong and successful team behind them to help them achieve it.
Both brokers have hired new team members in the past year, noting that the pandemic had required them to hire new client support managers (CSMs) to handle the surge of enquiries coming through from prospective buyers and refinancers.
Ms Trotter said: “We’ve taken on two more staff recently because we are just crazy busy. So, now I have a team of four...
“If I was doing things again, I think I’d do it differently,” she said.
“I’d bring on more staff earlier rather than when you’re already at the peak of where you’re at.”
Likewise, Ms Thomson said: “The biggest thing that I’ve learned over the years has been that you have to have the right people in your team... Hiring the right people, hiring people that are smarter than me, are all aspects of actually making this entire office function.”
Both Ms Thomson and Ms Trotter said that they had found the right team members by “trusting their gut” and ensuring that their team members had a similar work ethic to them.
The two brokers also said that their mentors, Loan Market brokers Bruce Patten (NZ) and Grant Rheuben (Aus), had been instrumental in helping them develop as brokers over their career to date.
Ms Thomson reflected that when she first joined Loan Market in 2004, she was one of two female brokers in the group, but noted that the industry was making waves in recruiting more women and providing support networks.
“If women are thinking about broking as a career, they can be assured that there’s support out there,” she said.
“I’ve been a member of Loan Market’s Leading Ladies group for several years and we have a combination of events, networking sessions and share the knowledge that really helps our professional development,” she said.
“I think I totally underestimated the power of something like Leading Ladies. I remember going to my first event and thinking: ‘OK, what’s this all about? Why do we need a chick thing?’ But as soon as it started, I was amazed at the knowledge sharing and questions the women asked that may not have spoken up in a room full of men. From then on, it cemented the need for these events in my mind, and I’ve been an advocate ever since.
“It also is a great community to be a part of when you are new to the industry or transitioning your business to the next level.”
Ms Trotter added: “All of us can do anything, we just need to back ourselves, and having these types of forums – and having more of them – is really important.”
The month of November marks The Adviser’s Women in Finance month, as we profile some of the leading women in this industry. As well as the Women in Finance themed magazine, we’ll also be having female-centric podcasts and running profiles and content in the daily bulletin, too.
Make sure you’re subscribed to The Adviser’s bulletin to ensure you never miss a beat and never miss a podcast episode by subscribing to us now on your preferred podcast provider!
[Related: How this broker is leading the way without banking on trail]
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