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Feature September 21, 2018

Women in Finance Awards 2018: The winners revealed!


The winners of the 2018 Women in Finance Awards have been announced, with several leading mortgage brokers being recognised for their achievements.

The second annual Women in Finance Awards, presented by Momentum Media in association with principal partner NAB, saw more than 700 representatives from the financial and professional services industries celebrate the work of the women making a difference in accounting, banking, insurance, financial advice, funds management, mortgage broking and superannuation.

Hosted by stand-up comedian and writer Claire Hooper at The Star in Sydney, the event revealed who, out of the 400 submissions, were the winners of the 28 individual and group performance awards for 2018.

For the second year in a row, Deslie Taylor from Mortgage Choice Ormeau took home the award for Mortgage and Finance Broker of the Year.

Speaking to The Adviser following her win last year, Ms Taylor suggested that thinking outside the box in terms of training had helped her achieve greater client outcomes.

Meanwhile, following on from her win as Young Leader of the Year last year, broker and principal of Rise High Financial Solutions Marissa Schulze took home the award for Principal of the Year.

Dr Catriona Wallace, CEO and founder of artificial intelligence assistant company Flamingo AI, took home the award for Fintech Leader of the Year, as well as the Excellence Award.

In a moving speech, Ms Wallace thanked her colleagues for their hard work and called up on stage the winner of the Chief Executive Officer of the Year award, Connie Mckeage, highlighting that they were the first female CEOs to run ASX-listed companies.

Ms Wallace also invited all of the finalists onto the stage to celebrate their successes and highlight the volume of women that are making a difference in the finance world.

Speaking at the event, Katarina Taurian, head of editorial at Momentum Media, congratulated the winners, finalists and everyone who had contributed to the success of the women in the room, adding that the finalists had recognised that their clients want “transparency, immediacy, reliability and results”, and that, “more than ever, they want trust”.

Ms Taurian added that the finalists had not only recognised that change, but that they are “driving it for their clients, [and] at all costs, they’re prioritising their clients’ expectations”.

She concluded: “Your profession is competitive and it is mighty. The only way you could make it to the top of your game is through hard work, absolute determination, sticking to your guns and getting results.

“To our finalists, you might’ve had some good fortune along the way, but you’re here tonight because of your work, your ideas and your leadership.

“Momentum Media is thrilled to recognise your success, and we congratulate you on your stellar achievements.”

The winners of the 2018 Women in Finance Awards are:

Accountant of the Year

Lee Duffield, CMS Private Advisory

Association Professional of the Year

Maria Robinson, Franchise Council of Australia

Auditor of the Year

Shirley Schaefer, BDO Australia

Bookkeeper of the Year

Diane Lucas, Direct Management

Business Development Professional of the Year

Sue Carolan, Allianz Australia

Chief Executive Officer of the Year

Connie Mckeage, OneVue

Chief Financial Officer of the Year

Melanie Woodward, Tactical Global Management

Director of the Year

Judy Snell, RSM Australia

Executive Assistant/Personal Assistant of the Year

Bianca Carr, Shadforth Financial Group

Financial Planner/Adviser of the Year

Joanna Ryan, Lumix Wealth

Fintech Leader of the Year

Catriona Wallace, Flamingo AI

Innovator of the Year

Fiona Macgregor, TAL

Investment Manager of the Year

Sonia Bluzmanis, BT Financial Group

Legal Counsel of the Year

Marj Bhatty, Bluestone

Marketing Professional of the Year

Maria Loyez, SocietyOne

Mentor of the Year

Lynda Coker, Scale Investors

Mortgage and Finance Broker of the Year

Deslie Taylor, Mortgage Choice

Office Administrator of the Year

Nicole Wicks, SMART Business Solutions

Principal of the Year

Marissa Schulze, Rise High Financial Solutions

Regional Professional of the Year

Jane Pollard, Catalyst Accounting & Tax

Small Business Adviser of the Year

Debra Anderson, Anderson Tax & Consulting

SMSF Adviser of the Year

Jemma Sanderson, Cooper Partners Financial Services

Thought Leader of the Year

Lisa Schutz, Verifier

Young Leader of the Year

Lauren Reid, MLC Life Insurance

Employer of the Year

AIA Australia

Employer of the Year (SME)

Cooper Partners

Women’s Community Program of the Year

Women With Cents

Women in Finance Excellence Award

Catriona Wallace, Flamingo AI

This article originally featured in The Adviser