Broker of the Year - Commercial Finance (2009)

The theme for this year’s commemoration of the industry’s finest and standout achievers was science fiction; although – save for one lone Silver Surfer – there were no Vulcan War Lord or Darth Vader impressionists in the room. Instead, the ones to watch were the guests themselves who proved that the Australian mortgage industry can ‘scrub up well’.

Sydney’s Westin Hotel was awash with colour and glamour as more than 800 honoured guests pulled on tuxedos and evening dresses for the awards evening. It has been described by a director of one of the country’s leading aggregators as the premier awards event in the industry.

While the speakers vibrated with music from Star Wars and The Matrix, the charged mood was fortified by what has now become somewhat of an AMA stalwart – the finalists’ video montage. Each of them, across all award categories, played out scenes from well known science fiction favourites to enthusiastic applause.

The MC for the evening was Cameron Williams, sports presenter on Channel Nine’s Today    Show and host of Today on Sunday. Williams entertained the guests with his detailed sports knowledge, and kept the pace of proceedings flowing with regular score updates from the big NRL preliminary final Eels/Doggies clash. With each one came either a fervent roar – or an agonising groan.

But the chief business of the evening was to credit and pay respect to the mortgage industry’s leading brokers and professionals for their stand-out performances during another challenging financial year in a market still hamstrung by the effects of the global economic downturn. This year proved to be as difficult as 2008, with the industry still facing the challenges associated with limited funding, impending regulation and ongoing credit tightening. But the AMA organising committee was nonetheless inundated with hundreds of award nominations across all the categories.

As event partner Westpac’s Huw Bough said: “The mortgage market has faced very challenging market and economic conditions of late, yet the successes we celebrate this evening demonstrate the continued strength, professionalism and drive in the mortgage industry”.

In the end, many industry professionals were called on to make the tough decisions about the winners. Twenty-four professionals were given due credit for the contribution they have made to the mortgage industry over the course of the year.

The big winner on the night, Smartline’s Joe Sirianni, summed the mood of the event up eloquently. “Tonight is a reflection,” he said, “of all the good work that we are doing in the industry. It is a wonderful occasion to recognise its professionalism and excellence”.

MPA caught up with each of the winners to find out what winning the award meant to them, and get a glimpse of what it was that kept driving them forward. Many told us of a commitment to long hours and good old fashioned hard work, and all took the opportunity to give praise to the outstanding teams each has working with them.