MPA Brokers on Non-Banks 2021 - Brand Recognition
Accolades
Media
Milestones
1952
1978
1990
2008
2017
2020
La Trobe Financial was founded on 6 August 1952 and named after the first Victorian governor, Charles Joseph La Trobe
1952
The La Trobe Financial Foundation was established to support individuals and organisations and improve the economic and social conditions of communities in need
1978
La Trobe Financial pioneered the Lite Doc® loan product, a first in Australia.
Also established a dedicated funds management division
1990
La Trobe Financial opened an office in Shanghai. In 2011, it opened an office in Sydney and in 2017 an office in Hong Kong
2008
La Trobe Financial announces a strategic partnership with leading investment firm Blackstone Group, which takes an 80% equity stake
2017
La Trobe Financial successfully completes a $1.25bn residential mortgage-backed securities raising, effectively reopening Australian debt capital markets after COVID-19 took hold
2020
Inspiring women to reach the pinnacle
Michelle Bannister has been at leading non-bank lender La Trobe Financial for 25 years, and her career path has taken her all the way from the mailroom to senior executive – head of distribution.
“La Trobe Financial's support has helped me to grow and develop as a person and has offered me a number of opportunities during my career which at that time were traditionally seen as male-dominated roles,” she says.
Bannister began her career at La Trobe Financial working in the mailroom after completing a two-week work experience trial at the company – a typical cliché for a young female entering the corporate arena at that time.
“From there, I progressed to the typing pool, where I was again surrounded by females, but that’s where the cliché ended, which is a great reflection on the culture at La Trobe Financial, where hard work gets recognised, and opportunities are presented.”
Bannister worked in collections and then quickly moved into credit, where she realised her strengths and passion were in the third-party channel, dealing with brokers.
“I headed up credit for nine years prior to moving into a sales role, which gave me a great foundation along with a high degree of confidence to back my decisions in the field, which is what I built my sales career on,” she says.
La Trobe Financial has always had a focus on employing females – the number of females entering its workspace has remained steady and is holding at close to par with the number of males.
“Opportunities are available to everyone – period. If you can prove yourself, and you do the work, the job is yours,” Bannister says.
“In recent times, we have experienced an extremely high calibre of females joining us, often coming out of larger corporate organisations where in some cases they tell us they feel that they lost sight of their future career path and felt more like a number with a limited voice.”
Bannister says what has changed externally is that 20 years ago a typical broker was a mature-aged male, but that’s no longer the case, as younger women and men have become brokers.
“That’s helped the transition to a greater level of acceptance of females in the industry and a greater deal of respect.”
The industry has also come a long way in accepting and promoting women, Bannister says. “That wasn’t the case 15 years ago. You look at every industry body back then, and it was 100% male dominated; well and truly over 80% of the industry was male.”
Bannister says her move away from an individual sales role to her current role in which she looks after a 35-strong sales team has been rewarding.
Spotlight
As one of Australia’s leading credit asset managers specialising in asset management and credit, La Trobe Financial is committed to making a positive impact on its community.
With seven decades of proven credit management behind it, La Trobe Financial has funded over $36bn of investment for more than 205,000 customers. Its investors include large global institutions, Australia’s major banks, family offices, fund managers, and 55,000 everyday investors in its award-winning credit fund.
Since 1952, La Trobe Financial has been driven by one cause – to place “others before self” and make a positive impact by helping people create wealth with its specialist and investment solutions.
To view a full list of La Trobe Financial’s awards, please visit the Awards and Ratings page on their website.
La Trobe Financial Services Pty Limited ACN 006 479 527 Australian Credit Licence 392385.
Company Profile
1952
YEAR FOUNDED
205,000+
Clients
4
offices around the world
$13bn
Assets under management
400+
staff members
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Media
Accolades
Company Profile
Years In the Industry
25
Company
La Trobe Financial
Career Highlight
Michelle Bannister started her career at
La Trobe Financial in 1998, progressing from the mailroom to the typing pool to roles in collections, credit and sales before landing her current senior role as head of distribution two years ago
Michelle
Bannister
Senior executive – head of distribution
Career highlight
La Trobe Financial head of distribution Michelle Bannister shares her career journey, hoping to inspire more women to join the finance industry
Read on
“La Trobe Financial’s support has helped me to grow and develop as a person and has offered me a number of opportunities during my career which at that time were traditionally seen as male-dominated roles”
Michelle Bannister,
La Trobe Financial
Share
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2011
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2019
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
Inspiring women to reach the pinnacle
Spotlight
Years in the industry
25
company
La Trobe Financial
Fast Facts
Michelle Bannister started her career at La Trobe Financial in 1998, progressing from the mailroom to the typing pool to roles in collections, credit and sales before landing her current senior role as head of distribution two years ago
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Career highlight
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Accolades
Company Profile
Share
LEADER PROFILe
Top
Insight Leaders
Overview
General Stats
Insights
Share
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2011
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2019
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
Career highlight
Read on
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Accolades
Company Profile
"Digitisation of documents and the move towards online processes have enabled us to become borderless and able to operate from the kitchen table if we need to – this can be of great appeal to working mums"
Michelle Bannister,
La Trobe Financial
“My role now is about helping people under me succeed. I’m proud to have mentored a number of people and assisted them in finding leadership opportunities.”
Bannister has created several state manager roles, and three of them
(NSW, Victoria and Queensland) are held by women. There are also two female state managers in the asset management arm of the business, bringing the total number of females in sales leadership roles to six, out of eight roles.
Three of La Trobe Financial’s state managers are mums.
“It shows to females in the industry that it's possible; as much as it’s a juggle and a balance and hard work, don’t give up your career just because you have the title of being a mum,” Bannister says.
“La Trobe Financial has continued to provide me with great support, encouraging me to strive to be my best and supporting me both in my day-to-day role and also by allowing me to progress my career whilst raising my young children.”
MPA Brokers on Non-Banks 2021 - Foreign Non-Residents
AMA 2021 Non-Bank of the Year Excellence Award
AMA 2021 Best Non-Major Bank BDM
$1m+
Annual donations
"Digitisation of documents and the move towards online processes have enabled us to become borderless and able to operate from the kitchen table if we need to – this can be of great appeal to working mums"
Michelle Bannister,
La Trobe Financial
"Digitisation of documents and the move towards online processes have enabled us to become borderless and able to operate from the kitchen table if we need to – this can be of great appeal to working mums"
Michelle Bannister,
La Trobe Financial
News
TV
Updates
Features
Resources
Subscribe
Events
Contact Us
News
TV
Updates
Features
Resources
Subscribe
Events
Contact Us
News
TV
Updates
Features
Resources
Subscribe
Events
Contact Us
Bannister says arriving at a female majority across sales leadership roles was not deliberate; it was simply a reflection of the best candidates for the role getting an opportunity – evidence of the meritorious culture at La Trobe Financial.
“I feel that we’re set up well to provide even more opportunity for our staff, because the people under the state managers are going, ‘OK, there’s a stepping stone for me. How do I get there? I want that job’.”
The company provides tailored training for female employees to equip them with useful skills and the confidence to work in what can be a male-dominated industry, Bannister says.
To boost female broker numbers, which according to the MFAA are at just 26.9%, she says promotion and messaging via industry bodies is needed to show women how broking has changed and now offers work-life balance.
“The way in which a broker was expected to operate 10 to 15 years ago, being nine-to-five minimum in an office five days per week, is no longer the same now, therefore it can appeal more to females, because as long as you’ve got
your laptop and phone with you, you can be flexible around your hours,” Bannister says.
“Digitisation of documents and the move towards more online processes have enabled us to become borderless and able to operate from the kitchen table if we need to. This can be of great appeal to working mums and should be promoted.”
When it comes to La Trobe Financial helping female brokers, Bannister says “we feel that our program caters well for all brokers, regardless of gender, to try new products and learn new skills, and have specifically engineered our products to do so”.
“A great example would be in the commercial and development space, where the number of active female brokers is further reduced. We are able to provide a very hands-on approach with training and spend the time with brokers to empower them to ensure they have a high level of confidence to play in this niche market.”
“I headed up credit for nine years prior to moving into a sales role, which gave me a great foundation along with a high degree of confidence to back my decisions in the field, which is what I built my sales career on,” she says.
La Trobe Financial has always had a focus on employing females – the number of females entering its workspace has remained steady and is holding at close to par with the number of males.
“Opportunities are available to everyone – period. If you can prove yourself, and you do the work, the job is yours,” Bannister says.
“In recent times, we have experienced an extremely high calibre of females joining us, often coming out of larger corporate organisations where in some cases they tell us they felt that they lost sight of their future career path and felt more like a number with a limited voice.”
Bannister says what has changed externally is that 20 years ago a typical broker was a mature-aged male, but that’s no longer the case, as younger women and men have become brokers.
“That’s helped the transition to a greater level of acceptance of females in the industry and a greater deal of respect.”
The industry has also come a long way in accepting and promoting women, Bannister says. “That wasn’t the case 15 years ago. You look at every industry body back then, and it was 100% male dominated; well and truly over 80% of the industry was male.”
Bannister says her move away from an individual sales role to her current role in which she looks after a 35-strong sales team has been rewarding.
“My role now is about helping people under me succeed. I’m proud to have mentored a number of people and assisted them in finding leadership opportunities.”