FEATURED EXCELLENCE AWARDEE

Heartland Bank

“I had a picture of a house, and the house was Premiere Mortgage Centre”

Kerri Reed, Premiere Mortgage Centre

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EXCELLENCE AWARDEE: Underwriting Agency of the Year

www.heartlandbank.com.au

Heartland Bank Australia

brokers@heartlandbank.com.au

1300 662 865

20/8 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

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EXCELLENCE AWARDEE: Infinity Capital Bank of the Year

Heartland Bank

Michelle Winzer

Chief Executive Officer

Michelle Winzer joined Heartland Bank as CEO on 22 July 2024, bringing over 30 years of banking and financial services experience. Originally from Buccan, Queensland, she has held executive roles in retail and business banking, customer service and operations. Previously, Michelle was Chief Executive Banking at RACQ Bank, CEO at Bank of Melbourne and held senior positions at Bankwest, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac. She excels in cultural transformation and market-leading service, with strengths in values-based leadership and uniting teams behind a vision to achieve top business performance.

Chief Executive Officer

Michelle Winzer

facebook.com/HeartlandBankAustralia

@brightenaustralia

Robin Barham

Leadership

1188 Whakue St, Rotorua Central, Rotorua

Ben Webster

Co-founder and Head of Product

Leadership

Ben Webster, co-founder of AGILE, is also the driving force behind other successful insurtechs like Insured by Us and SanctionsCheck.co. With decades of experience in founding and scaling remote-first companies across multiple time zones, Ben has mastered the art of managing diverse skill sets. He is also a co-founder of Insurtech Australia, further cementing his reputation as a key industry influencer. His multifaceted experience in both traditional insurance and technological innovation makes him a unique asset to AGILE.

Co-founder and Head of Product

Ben Webster

Nick Goritsas is a seasoned insurance executive with over 30 years in the field, focusing on operational and financial improvements. He previously served as CFO and head of risk management at W.R. Berkley Insurance Australia and was the founding CFO at DUAL Australia. As the APRA Alternate Agent in Australia for W.R. Berkley, Nick brought an extra layer of compliance and risk mitigation to the table. His proficiency in finance and risk management provides AGILE with a strategic advantage in these critical areas.

Co-founder and Group CFO

Nick Goritsas

Robin Barham brings over 30 years of industry experience to AGILE, having honed his skills at Lloyd’s Syndicates in London and Australia. Starting out in Marine and Aerospace underwriting, he later assumed management roles focusing on A&H, Property, Casualty and Financial Lines. His former positions include underwriting manager at Catlin Australia, regional director at Arch Underwriting at Lloyd’s (Australia), and MD at StarStone Underwriting Australia. Robin’s extensive background adds unparalleled underwriting expertise to AGILE’s leadership team.

Co-founder and CEO

Robin Barham

Co-founder and CEO

Robin Barham

@agile_uw

Robin Barham

Co-founder and CEO

As an independent, forward-thinking girls’ school we are committed to preparing girls for a lifetime of learning, leadership and engagement in our global community. We believe in girls. At Ruyton Girls’ School we foster the individuality of each girl in a caring and safe environment, nurturing her intellectual, physical, social and emotional qualities that are essential to flourish. Powerful learning is central to the Ruyton culture, building on our strong academic reputation. We focus on advancing the learning of every girl through the engagement of intellectual curiosity, building their knowledge and skills about how to learn, and supporting them to achieve their personal best and be exemplary citizens. We believe in real-world learning beyond the classroom, collaborating with the wider community to promote growth, discovery and sustainability. We empower our girls to lead lives of purpose with courage, character and compassion. Through the development of values and action-focused learning they are inspired to pursue equity and justice for self and others. By embracing diversity and raising their voices, our girls effect positive change and make a difference.

Bellbird Park State Secondary College (BPSSC) prides itself on providing an innovative and inclusive education experience for all learners. Our college is extraordinary because of the incredible students, parents, community partners and staff who bring it to life each day. Since opening in 2017 with 212 Year 7 students and 31 staff, the school has been on a rapid journey of student growth and staff recruitment. BPSSC now has an enrolment of 1,800 students and 150+ staff members. Located in the aspirational, multiculturally rich Ipswich community (ICSEA 953), we’re exceptionally proud to be the school of choice in our community. At BPSSC, we’re committed to supporting the success and wellbeing of every student as they transition through each stage of learning through our high-expectations, high-support approach. In 2023, 175 First Nations students are connected and thriving at our college. Our Many Pathways, No Limits mantra extends to all students, and we provide tailored differentiated, culturally appropriate educational opportunities for our First Nations students. Our approach to First Nations education is extensive, multifaceted and a whole-school effort effecting positive systematic change and outcomes for our students.

Nick Goritsas

Co-founder and Group CFO

Co-founder and CEO

Heartland Bank is a specialist bank. It focuses on providing Australians with specialist banking products that are the best or only products of their kind, through digital channels. Heartland Bank is Australia’s largest ADI provider of reverse mortgages, a specialist provider of livestock finance through StockCo, and is proud to offer competitive term deposit rates to help Australians get the most out of their money. While Heartland Bank was established in May 2024, its predecessors have been serving Australians since 1971. Since 2004, Heartland has helped more than 27,500 Australians to live a more comfortable retirement by releasing equity from their homes. Its livestock finance brand, StockCo, is a leading provider of specialist livestock finance for Australian food producers and has been operating in Australia since 2014, with origins in New Zealand dating back to 1995. Heartland Bank is part of the Heartland group of companies. Heartland Group Holdings Limited has more than 145 years of experience in financial services and is listed on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges (NZX/ASX:HGH).

Medina Cicak

Chief Commercial Officer

Medina Cicak is an experienced financial services executive, specialising in developing and executing growth strategies that drive tangible results. Medina’s expertise spans a wide range of critical areas, including strategy development, business expansion, project management, risk and compliance, product ownership and operational excellence. Prior to joining Heartland Bank in 2024 as Chief Commercial Officer, Medina held multiple senior positions within the banking industry, including at Suncorp Bank and more recently at RACQ Bank where she was Head of Lending Product, Operations and Distribution. Medina leads Heartland’s product distribution teams in Australia, including the Retail, Reverse Mortgages and Livestock Finance businesses.

Chief Commercial Officer

Medina Cicak

Ben Webster

Co-founder and Head of Product

Ben Webster

Puneet Kumar

Distribution and Partnerships Manager

Nick Goritsas

Co-founder and Group CFO

Nick Goritsas

Puneet Kumar is an experienced banking and finance professional with over 17 years in the industry and a Master’s in Accounting. Prior to joining Heartland Bank, he held leadership roles at Commonwealth Bank spanning operations, lending and project management. Since joining Heartland Bank, Puneet has served as Credit Manager, gaining expertise in managing complex scenarios. He now leads Heartland Bank’s distribution and partnerships channel for Reverse Mortgages, with a focus on building strong broker relationships and driving growth.

Distribution and Partnerships Manager

Puneet Kumar

Stuart Murray has over 21 years of experience in the Australian financial services industry, specialising in credit assessment and mortgage underwriting. Prior to joining Brighten, Stuart was Head of Lending Australia and Responsible Manager at Resimac, where he was responsible for management of all aspects of Resimac’s Australian underwriting team. Prior to that, Stuart worked in mortgage credit assessment at St.George Bank and Bluestone Mortgages.

Head of Credit

Stuart Murray

Chris Meaker has over 21 years of experience in the finance industry with a focus on lending, business development and sales management. Prior to joining Brighten, he worked for La Trobe Financial, where he was an Executive General Manager and Head of Origination Channels. Previously, he worked for Pepper Financial Services Group as State Manager and Senior Business Development Manager.

Head of Distribution

Chris Meaker

Craig Thompson

Chief Operating Officer

Co-founder and Group CFO

Nick Goritsas

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