If you ask John Contarino, there’s nothing better way to elevate your position in the mortgage finance industry than winning Regional Broker of the Year at the Australian Mortgage Awards.
The Far North Queensland Broker, based in the small town of Atherton, was named Broker of the Year – Regional at the 2021 Australian Mortgage Awards .
“As a mortgage broker, it was a true honour to win this award,” Contarino (pictured) said.
“Everyone I speak to within the mortgage industry says out of all of the awards, the AMAs are the awards everybody wants to win. It is a prestigious award which is held in the highest regard.”
The founder of Mobile Finance Broker is encouraging brokers to enter the 2022 Australian Mortgage Awards, with nominations now open until 1 July.
“There is no question winning an AMA will elevate your profile in your community,” Contarino said.
“If a broker from a small town like Atherton can win, anyone can. The judging panel considers everything and you get a fair chance under the AMA awards.”
Read more: Winning an Australian Mortgage Award helps broker flourish
The AMAs are the premium event on the mortgage finance industry calendar, organised by Key Media and supported by Australian Broker and MPA.
This year, the nomination and submission process has been simplified. People who place nominations, or their nominees, are no longer required to complete a final submission later.
Those who are selected for an award will be contacted in the week of July 25, and answers provided by the person who nominated them will then be provided to the judges.
“The judging team considers all qualifying methodology and not just lending volumes,” Contarino said.
“There were eight finalists in my category last year, all who lived in much larger regional areas than I did such as Newcastle, Wollongong and the Gold Coast. So when you have people from those areas mixed in with someone from a town of only 26,000 people, it was refreshing to know the judging panel factored that into consideration.”
For 21 years, the Australian Mortgage Awards have been honouring the best in the business – the top brokers and brokerages, BDMs, banks, non-banks and aggregators across the nation.
The 2022 event will take place on 14 October at The Fullerton in Sydney, the first time it has been a live event since 2019. Westpac Bank is once again the proud event partner.
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Contarino said winning last year’s award lifted his personal and professional profile in his home town.
“We ran a story in the local newspaper shortly after I won, and I remember shortly after I was shopping at Woolworths and this old man that I have never met in my life before came up to me, shook my hand and congratulated me on my award win,” he said.
“The award win has also led to generating additional business and has given my team and I the opportunity to give back to our local community. This includes teaming up with the local high school for a mentoring program about personal finance for students in years 10 to 12.
“We were also able to raise over $1,300 for not-for-profit organisation Tree Roo Rescue – a conservation program designed to save local tree kangaroos.”
The Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 will feature 25 categories plus the two main awards – Westpac Australian Broker of the Year and Liberty Australian Brokerage of the Year.
The AMAs are sponsored by Westpac (event partner), Adelaide Bank, Bankwest, BOQ Broker, Commonwealth Bank, Dye & Durham, Equity-One, MFAA, La Trobe Financial, Liberty, FBAA, Mortgage Choice, MSA National, NextGen, OnDeck, Prime Capital and Resimac.
To nominate, go to the Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 website.
