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The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) National Excellence Awards was held in Melbourne on Wednesday night (22 July) to celebrate excellence across the mortgage and finance broking industry.
This year, the MFAA received a record 854 submissions across 27 categories. The winners of the awards for 2026 were:
Individual awards
- MFAA life membership award: Caroline Jean-Baptiste, broker principal at Mortgage Choice Fortitude Valley & Surrounds.
Jean-Baptiste has worked in the broking industry for over 21 years, operating the Mortgage Choice Fortitude Valley & Surrounds brokerage and serving as a mentor, advocate, and author (having penned Buy That House: How Kickass Women Make it Happen and The Leverage Effect: The Secret Women use to Scale their Business and Build Wealth).
Her roles within the MFAA include serving on the finance, audit, and risk committee, as well as holding positions as deputy chair and chair of the nominations, remuneration, and governance committee.
Noting the award, the Mortgage Choice broker said the relationships she had built with clients had always been at the heart of her success: “I feel very privileged to have had their support because doing this without them would have been impossible...
“The mortgage and finance broking industry genuinely wants to lift people up. Brokers want to support each other, support their clients and share what they’ve learnt. That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about this industry.”
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Business Development Manager Award – Aggregator: Holly Hammond, Loan Market (SA/NT)
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Business Development Manager Award – Lender & Support Service Provider: Kelly Tietjen, NAB (Qld)
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Commercial & Equipment Finance Broker Award: Jarrod Smith, Transact Finance (WA)
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Community Champion Award: Donna Campbell, Mortgage Choice South Morang (Vic/Tas) and Louisa Sanghera, Zippy Financial (NSW/ACT)
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Customer Service Award – Individual: Amol Agrawal, Juice Finance (WA)
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Loan Administrator Award: Sally Fox, Thompson Finance & Leasing (SA/NT)
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Mentor of the Year Award: Joseph Daoud, It’s Simple
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Newcomer Award: Danny Trajcevski, Traj Finance (Vic/Tas)
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Regional Finance Broker Award: Kirsty McKinnon, Flair Finance (NSW/ACT)
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Residential Finance Broker Award: Katie Thomas, Focus Finance (NSW/ACT)
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Young Professional Award: Tara Rockett, Rockett Finance Solutions (Qld).
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Company & Business Awards
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Aggregator Award – Boutique Aggregator: Purple Circle Financial Services
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Aggregator Award – Large Aggregator: Lendi Group
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Customer Service Award – Business: Azura Financial (NSW/ACT)
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Diversified Business Award: HT Capital (SA/NT)
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Diversity and Inclusion Award: Brighten
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Finance Broker Business Award: Azura Financial (NSW/ACT)
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Fintech Lender Award: Bridgit
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Major Lender Award: Macquarie Bank
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Mentor Program Award: Purple Circle Financial Services
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Mortgage Manager Award: Mortgage Ezy
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Mutual/Credit Union Lender Award: Beyond Bank Australia
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Non-Major Lender Award: Bankwest
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Professional Development Award: Smartmove
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Specialty Lender Award: Pepper Money
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Support Service Provider Award – Large Company: NextGen
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Support Service Provider Award – Small Company: Accurateli.
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Winners reflect ‘extraordinary depth of talent, innovation and professionalism’
The awards followed the MFAA’s 2026 National Conference, which carried the theme, Built on Trust. Ready for Tomorrow.
MFAA CEO Anja Pannek said: “Trust is the foundation of our industry. It is earned every day through expertise, integrity and by consistently putting clients first.
“Our National Excellence Awards recognise the people, businesses and organisations who exemplify those qualities. They celebrate not only outstanding mortgage and finance brokers, but also the aggregators, lenders, mentors and service providers who work together to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients.
“With a record 854 submissions received this year, the quality of our finalists and winners demonstrates the extraordinary depth of talent, innovation and professionalism that exists across mortgage and finance broking.
“Congratulations to every finalist and winner. Being recognised at this level is an incredible achievement and reflects the positive impact you are making for your clients, your businesses and our industry.”
Speaking of the life membership award that was bestowed on Jean-Baptiste, Pannek added: “It has been a privilege to work alongside Caroline during her time on the board. She has made a lasting contribution to the MFAA and to the continued professionalism and success of the mortgage and finance broking industry.”
MFAA chair Kerri Buurman said: “Caroline has given generously of her time, expertise and leadership over many years. Through her governance roles, advocacy for professional standards, mentoring of brokers and unwavering commitment to the industry, she has helped shape a stronger profession for the benefit of members and consumers alike.”
Several award recipients commented on their recognition following the awards ceremony.
Purple Circle Financial Services was named winner of the MFAA Mentor Program Award for the third consecutive year and was also named MFAA Boutique Aggregator of the Year.
Purple Circle CEO Michael Stephens said the consecutive mentoring win was particularly significant: “To win the Mentor Program Award for the third year in a row is an extraordinary honour.
“This recognition is a credit to our mentors, our team and, most importantly, the mentees who put their trust in the program and commit themselves to building successful businesses in broking.”
Pepper Money was named the national specialty lender for the ninth consecutive year, which Barry Saoud, the lender’s CEO, mortgages and commercial lending, said was “a proud moment for all of us at Pepper Money”.
“The fact that it’s broker and industry voted makes this recognition especially rewarding,” he said.
“It reflects the hard work, expertise, and commitment of our people, who show up every day focused on helping brokers and their customers to succeed. Every conversation, every application, and every outcome matters. It’s our team’s can-do mindset and genuine partnership with brokers that continues to be our X factor.
“Thank you to our broker partners for your continued trust – we’re grateful to be part of your journey and success. We’d also like to thank the MFAA for recognising the important role specialty lending plays in helping more Australians to succeed.”
Also taking home an award for the ninth consecutive year was non-major lender Bankwest, whose general manager for home buying distribution, Ian Rakhit, said: “We are extremely proud to continue our streak at the MFAA Excellence Awards after being recognised as the best Non-Major Lender at the national awards for the 9th consecutive year.
“The long-running success is a great honour and testament to our dedication to continuously improving home buying experiences for customers and brokers.”
Rakhit said that the bank continued to invest in its broker offering and stated: “We have built on practical policy settings, outstanding broker support and customer-first innovations to positively influence the experience of Australians making one of life’s biggest financial decisions and the brokers who help many of them navigate that process.
“A special thanks to our hardworking colleagues and their commitment to getting brokers and customers the right outcomes and to all the MFAA award winners for their valuable contributions to our industry.”
[Related: Submissions open for 10th annual Women in Finance Awards]
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