The curriculum covers essential areas such as leadership, client engagement, and business management
A select group of mortgage brokers has become the first in Australia to receive the new Mortgage Finance Professional Australia (MFPA) designation, a first-of-its-kind university-level qualification awarded by the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA).
Jarrod Smith, director of Transact Finance; Kate Sadler (pictured, centre), director of The Broker Society; Varun Goyal (pictured, left), director of Trusted Financial Choice; Haydn Marshall, principal of Lend Perspective; Matt McLean (pictured, right), director of McLean Home Loans; and Spiro Kolokithas, managing director of What If We Finance, all received the qualification after completing the Mortgage Finance Professional (MFP) Program.
Developed by the MFAA in collaboration with RMIT Online, the MFP curriculum covers essential areas such as leadership, client engagement, and business management, with electives in SMSF lending or financial analysis.
Reflecting on receiving the qualification, Smith said: “Achieving the designation shows my clients that they are dealing with a finance broker with experience, and demonstrates to my teammates that I am always looking for ways to improve on my leadership skills.”
“I am proud to have completed the course and achieved the designation, and I would recommend participation to anyone looking to either refresh their leadership skills, or to any aspiring leaders in the mortgage broking industry,” Smith added.
McLean described the MFPA as a valuable investment in yourself, your career, and your business. “It builds your technical knowledge, broadens your perspective, and sharpens the way you approach client outcomes and ethical decision making,” he said.
Sadler praised the program for improving her leadership and mentorship qualities. “I started thinking differently about how I guide my team, how I share knowledge, and how I set up structures that empower new entrants to succeed in our industry,” she said.
Read more: Broking industry standards cannot be set and forget, says MFAA CEO
Now that brokers are the dominant force in the mortgage finance industry, “competition, compliance and professionalism are key drivers in differentiating ourselves”, said Marshall. “We do this through enhanced credibility, trust and being able to raise the bar on the future
of industry standards. Clients and lenders now expect even greater levels of knowledge, insight and skill as we transition into an age defined by the uptake of AI.”
Kolokithas said the MFPA proved that the broking industry is maturing. “Broking is moving away from just writing loans to being recognised as a profession built on trust, knowledge and service,” he said. “The designation reflects a commitment to lifelong learning and a genuine thirst for knowledge.”
Goyal said the MFPA provided an evidence-based framework that lifted the bar on ethics and client focus. “It pairs data with a human-centred approach – listen first, then deliver clear, transparent advice in the client’s best interest,” he said. “The MFPA also reminded me to better utilise my soft skills and servant leadership, so I can coach my team to also lead with empathy and deliver consistent, value-aligned outcomes for our clients.”
MFAA chief executive Anja Pannek described the MFPA as “the result of five years of careful research, planning and hard work”.
“I’m incredibly proud that the MFAA is leading the way on advancing industry standards and supporting members to create greater value for themselves and their clients,” she added.
