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The leading lights of the Western Australian broking industry were rewarded for their achievements at the 10th annual Better Business Awards.
Over 400 members of the Western Australian broking industry attended the glamorous Better Business Awards on Thursday evening (9 March), following a successful kick-off in Brisbane last week.
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Throughout the evening, they networked with their peers and cheered on the 97 finalists who were in the running for 19 awards, including the coveted Broker of the Year award.
Run in partnership with NAB, the Awards — which is celebrating its 10th year — championed the best and brightest who are propelling the broking industry forward in Western Australia, including brokers and brokerages, business development managers (BDM), and loan administrators as well as thought leaders and mentors.
Australian comedian and actor and emcee Stephen Curry kept the audience in splits throughout the evening.
Individual awards
The prestigious Broker of the Year award was conferred to Perth-based Capita Finance Solutions mortgage broker Adam Donald, after he was named Best Residential Broker earlier in the evening.
He impressed judges with his consistent performance and strong connections with referral partners.
For her outstanding submission that demonstrated her innovation, communication, and notable growth rates, Specialist Mortgage founder and director Helen Avis was given the Best Customer Service (Individual) award.
InReach Finance finance consultant Tom Balnaves walked away with the New Broker of the Year award, with judges declaring that a bright future lies ahead for him.
Harken Finance financial services industry director Harry Bozin was crowned Thought Leader of the Year and was commended for knowing what is required to run a sound mortgage broking business.
Regional brokers were also recognised for their hard work, with Loan Market (Geraldton) director and finance broker Jasmine Butler awarded the Best Regional Broker trophy for increasing productivity year-on-year by targeting a niche market.
Launch Finance director and finance manager Dean English was this year’s Best Finance Broker in Western Australia for exceptional growth and earning positive feedback from clients and colleagues.
This year’s Editor’s Choice award recipient was Saint Finance director Christopher DiBlasi, with The Adviser’s Annie Kane commending him for his dedication to customer service, financial literacy, and getting his clients a good outcome quickly.
BDMs were recognised for providing unwavering support to brokers, with the Best Lender BDM (Bank) award going to Anita Lindsay, senior BDM, commercial broker — regional and agribusiness and small business, Western Australia at NAB, for implementing a commercial broker workshop and for making commercial finance more accessible.
The Best Lender BDM (Non-Bank) award was given to Bluestone Mortgages’ BDM Carla Segaram for using examples to demonstrate that she was having a positive impact on stakeholders through performing business tasks or generating new business.
The Perth Mortgage Specialist credit analyst/client support Susan Whitehurst won the Best Loan Administrator award for providing clear links to outcomes in her submission as well as examples of using good software.
Rounding out the individual winners was Smartline Personal Mortgage Advisers’ franchise development manager Nicole Vladich, who was named Best Aggregator BDM for partaking in good projects and producing excellent outcomes.
Group winners
The achievements of broking groups were also on display, with Aussie Home Loans Fremantle winning two accolades this year, including Best Franchise Office and Best New Office.
Another double winner was Resolve Finance – Western Australia (with managing director Don Crellin at the helm) that collected both the Best Customer Service (Office) and Best Large Independent Office trophies and earned praise for its emphasis on training and education.
The Best Boutique Independent Office award went to Momentum Wealth (steered by managing director Damian Collins) for providing strong value-add services and generating repeat business.
Pascoe Partners Finance (established by John Pascoe) won the Best Finance Brokerage (Office) for achieving strong growth throughout the year.
Finally, Towner Finance – Halls Head (founded by broker Michelle Towner) took home the Best Regional Office prize for differentiating itself from the market by specialising in the farming and fishing sector.
The Adviser would like to congratulate all the winners in Western Australia!
Better Business Summit & Awards move south
It’s onwards and southwards for the Better Business Summit and Awards, which will travel to Adelaide and two other Australian capital cities in March.
The 2023 content consists of four primary pillars to help brokers re-engineer their businesses, including:
- Lead generation
- Operations
- Technology
- Sales
The Better Business Summit & Awards 2023 will be held in the following locations:
- Adelaide, 16 March 2023 at the Adelaide Convention Centre
- Sydney, 23 March 2023 at The Star
- Melbourne, 30 March 2023 at Pullman Albert Hotel
Click here to buy tickets to the summit and don’t miss out!
Did you know The Adviser Premium members go for free? Become a Premium member here.
For more information about the 2023 Better Business Summit including speakers and agenda, click here.
[Related: Top brokers in Qld revealed at Better Business Awards 2023]
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