Redom Syed: Turning hardship into purpose

The foundations of Redom Syed’s career in finance were laid at an early stage in life.

Growing up, he saw first-hand how financial stress can devastate hard-working Australians, as his own family lost their home after falling behind on repayments.

While the experience left an indelible mark on Syed, it also gave him a clear purpose in life. “It showed me how deeply financial stress impacts families, and I knew I wanted to spend my life helping people avoid that same pain,” says Syed.

Emerging from the EY graduate program in 2012, Syed spent three good years in Canberra as an economist at the Federal Treasury before establishing a career in mortgage broking. He looks back on his time as an economist fondly, even if it was not the career path he ultimately wanted to take.

“Treasury was an incredible environment,” recalls Syed. “I was surrounded by some of the smartest minds in the country, learning how money, policy and systems work at scale. But it was all theory, numbers on a page. I wanted to bring that knowledge back to the real world – to help everyday Australians make smarter, more confident decisions with their money.”

Syed quickly realised that being a broker is about far more than just securing a loan. It’s about being a trusted partner to Australians making what is often the biggest financial decision of their lives.

“That’s a privilege,” says Syed. “Seeing that trust first-hand made me rethink what broking could be. It wasn’t about transactions; it was about transformation – about helping people make decisions that change the trajectory of their lives. That realisation became the foundation for everything we’ve built since.”

While he found his calling in mortgage broking, the lessons he learned as a working economist have stuck with him to this day.

Syed understands how incentives drive societal behaviours, “whether that’s in markets or in people”.

Being a trained economist “means I don’t chase noise”, he says. “I focus on cycles, trends and fundamentals – the patterns that really matter over time. That perspective has been a huge advantage in guiding both clients and the business through changing markets.”

Syed’s experience as an economist also helped him understand how policy, psychology and timing intersect to shape financial outcomes. “That foundation helps me simplify complexity for clients and brokers, breaking big ideas down into something practical and actionable.”

A year of recognition

Syed’s hard work and determination have been handsomely recognised in 2025. He scooped up Finance Broker of the Year (NSW and ACT) at the 2025 FBAA Awards of Supremacy, before returning to the stage to accept the biggest gong of the night, National Finance Broker of the Year.

How does it feel to receive this recognition?

“It’s surreal – and honestly emotional. It feels like a full-circle moment. I started this journey after watching my family lose our home. Twenty years later, to stand here with a business that helps thousands of Australians make smarter financial decisions... it’s humbling.

“It’s also not just my award; it belongs to every person who’s been part of the journey. My family, my team and our clients who’ve trusted us from the start. It’s proof that purpose and consistency beat hype every single time.”

It was undeniably a year of transformation, as Syed merged his brokerage, Confidence Finance, with national brokerage Flint Group, where he now serves as managing director.

Being a leader has been a giant learning curve for Syed. He has had to learn when to be hands off and when to trust others to lead – easier said than done when your hard-earned reputation is on the line.

“Be the A-player occasionally, but mostly focus on empowering others to shine. That’s how you turn a business into a movement” - Redom Syed

“When you start out, you do everything yourself because you have to,” Syed says. “But as you grow, holding on too tightly becomes the thing that limits you. The hardest – but most important – shift is learning to trust others to lead. Be the A-player occasionally, but mostly focus on empowering others to shine. That’s how you turn a business into a movement.”

When it comes to bringing a fresh face into the team, Syed looks for “hunger, humility, integrity and growth mindset”. These are the skills that can’t be taught – it’s easy to teach someone how to lodge a loan, but drive and attitude must come naturally.

“I look for people who are curious, coachable and genuinely want to help clients,” says Syed. “The best people are those who want to grow the pie for everyone – not just themselves. That mindset is what makes teams unstoppable.”

Effective marketing played no small part in this success.

Content does convert

Syed’s journey is as digital as it is personal. To date, he has created nearly 1,000 YouTube videos and a popular property podcast with over 8,000 subscribers.

It’s done wonders for lead generation, with around 80% of warm leads coming through YouTube alone. As a result, Syed is sceptical of brokers who contend that, as the saying goes, “content doesn’t convert”.

“I’d say it doesn’t convert if you don’t commit … In the last nine months alone, over 1,300 people have gone straight from my videos to booking calls with my team. That’s not followers – that’s clients.

“It’s shown me that connection beats scale. My channel isn’t the biggest, but people who find it often stay for hours. Watch time builds trust, and trust builds business.”

But flashy content can only go so far in building genuine business partnerships. Syed believes that YouTube, podcasting and the like have “amplified” the human side of finance.

“People want to feel who they’re dealing with before they buy anything, especially when it’s financial. Podcasts and video let people connect with your tone, values and personality before you ever meet.”

Syed’s crystal ball tells him the most successful brokers over the next decade will be the ones who show up consistently online.

“The top 10 brokers in 2028 will all have strong personal brands and social presence, because trust will be built long before the first meeting,” he predicts.

For Syed, the benefits of building an online presence clicked when the phone calls changed. “People stopped comparing quotes or shopping around. They were calling because they already knew us. They’d been following, learning and connecting long before that first conversation.

“That’s when I understood that attention is just another word for trust. If you can earn people’s time and teach them something valuable, you don’t need to sell – they’ll come to you. Attention became our way to scale trust at a national level.”

“Don’t wait for perfect – start showing up, and keep showing up,” adds Syed. “You can’t build trust in silence. The brokers who win the future will be the ones who communicate with purpose, not polish.”