The CEO of an aggregator claims the broking industry is still backwards when it comes to women in broking.
Voula Kotsiras, CEO of aggregator Port Group, told Australian Broker Online while more women were entering the market, it was still significantly behind other financial arms, including real estate.
“In my 12 years in the industry, I do believe I have seen more women entering into broking,” she said.
“However, when we compare our industry to industries such as accountants, financial planners and real estate agents, they seem to be making more progress in attracting female numbers.”
Port Group recently made a push to attract more female brokers, including a photographic campaign.
“The culture in our industry has typically been male dominated and more female brokers in the industry would be a nice welcome,” she said.
Ms Kotsiras said women could be a “great advantage” to clients.
“Typically women are more sympathetic in general and most referrers and consumers relate well to women,” she said.
She acknowledged family factors were a concern for women in the field.
“Women in our industry face similar obstacles to men, however, those that decide to raise a family for example, can miss out on crucial relationship building periods.
“Strong relationships and a large referral network is critical to a successful broker,” she warned.
Tags: Mortgage Broker Broking Women Financial Planning