25 winners 'invaluable to customers,' GM says
With the 2023 Broker of the Year awards now wrapped up, Bankwest is congratulating each of the 25 award winners.
Bankwest’s Broker of the Year awards are all about recognising the “best of the best” in the mortgage broking industry. They celebrate the brokers and broking businesses delivering great experiences to their customers in helping them to achieve their homeownership dreams.
The Broker of the Year events were hosted by Bankwest in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth during the month of March. There were 25 winners across seven categories.
Following COVID-19, it was business as usual for the 2023 awards, which were staged in their usual format.
Bankwest general manager third party Ian Rakhit (pictured above left, with Broker of the Year winner Phil Rogers, centre) attended each of the four events along with Bankwest executive general manager Jason Chan (pictured above, right). More than 860 brokers attended altogether.
Reflecting on the purpose of the awards, Rakhit said the bank was “more committed than ever” to supporting the broker network in delivering the best possible experience for customers.
“More than 80% of our home loans originate through brokers, and the Bankwest Broker of the Year awards are our primary opportunity to highlight the incredible work of brokers across Australia,” Rakhit said.
Discussing the award criteria, Rakhit said that irrespective of how customers arrived at Bankwest, the bank wanted its customers to have “the best possible experience”.
The Broker of the Year awards recognise brokers who deliver these holistic, positive experiences, he said.
“Bankwest strives to be a simple, easy bank for the Australian homeowner of today and tomorrow, and we can only achieve that through the collaborative relationship we’ve formed with our broker network,” Rakhit said.
The 2023 Bankwest Broker of the Year award winners
Congratulating each of the 25 winners (listed below), Rakhit said that they had each been “invaluable to their customers” through changing market conditions.
“I want to thank our entire broker network for the certainty their expertise has been able to provide the community in securing a roof over their heads, and our 25 winners are exemplars of that,” he said.
Broker of the Year:
The Broker of the Year Award recognises brokers who have demonstrated holistic brilliance in their state across deal submission and customer experience
- Winners: Graeme Holm (NSW), Tanya Verma (Vic), Phil Rogers (Qld) (pictured above centre), Brad Durtanovich (WA).
Office more than 25 writers:
Offices who have demonstrated holistic brilliance as a team across deal submission and customer experience
- Winner: Lendi Group (NSW) (pictured below)
Office more than 5 writers:
Offices who have demonstrated holistic brilliance as a team across deal submission and customer experience
- Winners: Shore Financial (NSW), Acceptance Finance (Vic), Pivotal Financial (Qld), The Loan Company (WA).
Office less than 5 writers:
Offices who have demonstrated holistic brilliance as a team across deal submission and customer experience
- Winners: Infinity Funding Solutions (NSW), CRE8 Finance Pty Ltd (Vic), Loan Market Edge (Qld), Stratique Finance (WA).
Customer Experience Award:
Customer Experience Award winners consistently receive a high net promoter score and brilliant customer verbatims
- Winners: Hassan Madrajat (NSW), Stephen Watson (Vic), Paul Newell (Qld), Christine Dunkerton (WA).
High Quality Deal Submission:
Accuracy of information on applications helps customers get into homes faster
- Winners: Nathan Smith (NSW), Frank Xiriha (Vic), Tarek Baytieh (Qld), James Chatfield (WA).
Hall of Fame:
Brokers who have demonstrated excellence over a number of years
- Winners: Fabio De Castro (NSW), Matthew Mannaert (VIC), Mick O’Shea (QLD) and Colin Lamb (WA). Lamb is pictured below third from left, along with Ian Rakhit, Bankwest WA state manager Adam Biffen, Fremantale Dockers head of football operations Bob Murphy and Jason Chan.
Supporting brokers in the year ahead
Amid rising interest rates, a higher cost of living and changing property values, Bankwest expects challenging economic conditions to continue for some time.
As demonstrated by MFAA market share figures, Rakhit said that it was during these times of uncertainty that the expertise of brokers became even more important as a source of independent, reliable advice.
Bankwest will continue to invest in delivering the tools and services brokers say they want and need, to help them deliver the best possible experience for customers, he said.
“We’ve been very clear in refining our focus to be a simple, easy bank for the Australian homeowner of today and tomorrow, and the only way we’ll achieve that goal is alongside brokers,” Rakhit said.