Eighteen winners recognised for service, innovation, and business excellence in state awards
Sydney hosted the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) 2025 State Excellence Awards last night, recognising standout performers across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
The event, held at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, acknowledged achievements in customer service, innovation, professionalism and overall business results. Eighteen awards were presented, showcasing a diverse range of talent from across the mortgage and finance industry.
MFAA chief executive Anja Pannek (pictured above) applauded both the finalists and the winners, noting the important contributions of brokers in supporting Australian borrowers.
“Our members are at the forefront of helping Australians secure homes, build wealth and feel confident in their financial futures,” Pannek said. “It’s inspiring to see so many professionals delivering such a high standard of service while adapting to the demands of a changing market.”
2025 MFAA NSW and ACT Excellence Award winners:
- Aggregator BDM: Natalie Viney, Connective
- Lender/Provider BDM: Roohi Kumar, St.George
- Commercial and Equipment Finance Broker: Kevin Wheatley, Bayside Residential and Commercial Mortgages
- Community Champion: Kristie Gould, Mortgage Choice Warners Bay
- Customer Service – Business: Focus Finance
- Customer Service – Individual: Joseph Daoud, It’s Simple Finance
- Diversified Business: Finconnex Financial
- Finance Broker Business: Azura Financial
- Fintech Lender: ubank
- Loan Administrator: John Pastega, Australian Finance Hub
- Major Lender: Macquarie Bank
- Mutual/Credit Union Lender: Teachers Mutual Bank Limited
- Newcomer: Michaela Shaw, MoneyQuest Penrith and Blue Mountains
- Non-Major Lender: ING
- Regional Finance Broker: Ashleigh Pakis, Panache Financial
- Residential Finance Broker: George Massouridis, Mortgage Navigators
- Specialty Lender: Pepper Money
- Young Professional: Cameron Darlison, Prosper One Finance
Nichole Banks, chief sales and marketing officer at Teachers Mutual Bank Limited, called the awards “a wonderful testament to the team’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to doing great work with brokers, and getting our members into homes”.
Banks gave a shout out to Teachers Mutual Bank Limited’s head of third party sales Mark Middleton, who “leads the team passionately and with grace and fire”.
“It’s fantastic to get the recognition of our hard work,” added Middleton. He also gave thanks to Teachers Mutual Bank Limited’s internal teams, BDMs, credit teams.
Drew Clegg, Pepper Money’s regional manager for NSW, ACT and Qld, said the “outstanding” night was a celebration of a big year for the non-bank lender.
It was the fourth year running that Pepper Money took home the Best Specialty Lender gong, which Clegg attributed to the “can-do attitude” of a team “that will die trying to get a deal done for a broker, whether it’s prime, specialist, SMSF or commercial.
Clegg also praised the hard work of Pepper Money’s credit and broker support teams.
The national program includes five regions: South Australia and the Northern Territory held their event on May 29 at Adelaide Oval. The Western Australia ceremony is scheduled for June 12 at Crown Perth, Victoria and Tasmania’s on June 19 at Grand Hyatt Melbourne, and Queensland’s event will take place on June 29 at Sofitel Brisbane Central. Winners from each region will advance to the national awards next month.
Want to be regularly updated with mortgage news and features? Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox – subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
