Thousands raised for McGrath Foundation as event hailed a cut above the rest
Inspiration was the overarching theme of this year's SFG National Conference, held on 13 November at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.
It was nothing short of an SFG takeover of the legendary cricket ground, with the mortgage aggregator’s branding emblazoned across the SCG’s stands as the day kicked off inside the historic Noble Dining Room.
Guests were treated to fascinating talks from some of Australia’s most inspiring humans, including none other than cricketing legend and President of the McGrath Foundation Glen McGrath, who joined SFG managing director William Lockett for a Q&A.
Athlete and motivational speaker Nedd Brockmann delivered a rousing message of being patient with results, but being impatient with action.
Brockmann also encouraged the audience to help others less fortunate. Guests rose to the challenge by raising nearly $30,000 for the McGrath Foundation throughout the day.
But it was Australian anaesthetist and cave diver Dr Richard Harris who brought some guests to tears with a gripping account of his role in the extraordinary 2018 Thailand cave rescue, for which he was awarded the Star of Courage, the Medal of the Order of Australia, and was named 2019 Australian of the Year alongside his dive partner Craig Challen.
Harris spoke of courage, clarity and commitment – invaluable lessons for the hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs gathered at the conference.
Broking industry figurehead Anja Pannek, chief executive of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) also took to the stage to discuss the biggest issues affecting the industry today.
Pannek touched on the hot topic of channel conflict following her open letter to the banking industry published earlier this week. She also discussed the ongoing debate around clawbacks and the NSW payroll tax controversy.
SFG national conference praised as massive success
It goes without saying that this stacked lineup of guests and speakers was warmly received.
“One of the best days, great line up of people, Nedd was awesome,” one guest wrote on LinkedIn.
“What an extraordinary event! The speaker line up was probably about the best I have ever seen. Congrats to you and the team!” said another.
Another commenter said the event outclassed the some of the biggest financial institutions in the country, saying: “What a fantastic day. An event a cut above the many Big 4 conferences attended over the years.”
Closing the conference, SFG general manager Blake Buchanan touched on the importance of diversification in the broking industry, calling on SFG members to either skill up, hire talent, or develop strong referral partners.
“Because if you don't, your neighbour will and don't let them eat your lunch,” he warned.
To help brokers get battle ready for 2026, SFG is in the midst of rolling out its Connect 2.0 CRM upgrade. “You've already got the best system in the marketplace and it's about to get a whole stack better,” said Buchanan.
Buchanan also revealed that, for the first time in SFG's history, the aggregator will be launching the SFG Academy, “where we will be taking in candidates and turning them into professional brokers within the course of the next five years”.
He ended on an uplifting note: “Ladies and gentlemen, purpose binds us to success. This conference is about purpose. Live your purpose. It binds us to success. If you've forgotten what your purpose is, or you don't have one, let's go exploring and find that together. Live with purpose, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much for your attendance today.”
