Five female mortgage brokers who mean business join industry-backed program

Five female mortgage brokers from across Australia have been selected for the next phase of She Means (formerly She Means Business), the initiative targeting investment in female leadership, business growth and workplace inclusion, delivered by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) with the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA).

Announced this Wednesday, they are:

• Chantel Rangel of Mortgage Choice in New South Wales

• Niti Bhargava of GB Financials in Victoria

• Teressa Fisk of Your Finance Broker in Queensland

• Joanne Walsh of NJK Finance in South Australia and

• Gemma Piscioneri of G&T Finance in Western Australia

Melanie Kafka (pictured, centre), MFAA executive, member experience and partnerships, said the program was helping turn conversations about gender diversity into practical and measurable change.

"The success of the pilot demonstrated what can happen when small businesses are given the right support, resources and confidence to invest in their people and their future.

"We saw participants strengthen their leadership skills, introduce new initiatives and create opportunities that will have benefits well beyond the life of the program."

Following a pilot program that was announced in May 2025, this next phase sits within an expanded national initiative backed by an additional $4 million in Australian Government funding, which will allow COSBOA to reach 120 small businesses over two years.

That builds on $2 million the government provided for the program's initial phase. Participants will receive tailored business development support, mentoring and resources.

Female broker numbers barely moving

The expansion lands as the broker channel hits new highs. According to the MFAA, mortgage brokers now facilitate a record 81.6% of all new residential home loans and broker numbers have passed 24,000 nationally.

Female representation, however, has shown little movement in recent years. The MFAA State of Mortgage & Finance Broking Report 2026 shows that women account for 27.4% of the broking workforce, representing less than a one-percentage-point increase since March 2024.

"With women representing only around one in four brokers, programs like She Means are an important part of creating the conditions for meaningful and lasting change," Kafka said.

"This isn't simply about increasing participation. It's about supporting women to lead businesses, develop new capabilities and help shape the future of our industry."

For Sunshine Coast-based Fisk (pictured, left), the program is an opportunity “for us to help upskill more women and also build stronger businesses through the education and specialist support that they offer”.

Fisk is expecting the networking to be as valuable as the education. "It looks like it gives a lot of opportunities to connect with other heads of industry and also just tips on how to grow your own business," she told MPA.

She said she was surprised at how slowly the gender split was shifting, and pointed to flexibility as an underappreciated drawcard. "I honestly think if women knew that it can be flexible and worked around lifestyle – but also I think finance just in general can seem overwhelming."

‘You can’t be what you can’t see’

Perth-based Piscioneri (pictured, right) believes a lack of visibility is doing the industry a disservice. "You can't be what you can't see," she told MPA. "I think more female brokers being more overt and talking about the industry will help that."

"It's other people backing them that's going to make the difference to that number lifting long term," Piscioneri added. She urged broker business owners to look at how they support women's development, create opportunities for them and help them build connections.

Piscioneri found the program through LinkedIn and said she honestly didn't think she'd get in. The grant component was a major draw. "Not only do you get support in terms of development opportunities for me personally, but also being able to get that grant component where you can actually use it to do something that's going to benefit female broker numbers in the industry as a whole.”

"We congratulate Chantel, Niti, Teressa, Joanne and Gemma and look forward to sharing their achievements as the program progresses," Kafka added.