Champions of Diversity – Josie Prasad, Astute Hunters Hill

Welcome to the MFAA Champions of Diversity. The aim of this initiative is to profile a range of role models in the mortgage and finance broking industry who are championing the ideas of diversity and inclusion. For our inaugural story, we are pleased to introduce Josie Prasad, Principal of Astute Hunters Hill.

A strong sense of giving back to community and helping clients make smart financial choices are the key things that first attracted Josie Prasad to the mortgage and financial broking industry.

After a career in hospitality and banking, in 2010 Josie became a mortgage broker and has subsequently built a thriving finance, insurance and wealth business in Sydney’s Hunters Hill based on a strong sense of customer-first service and understanding the importance of treating every customer as an individual.

Josie, who migrated to Australia from Fiji when she was 15, the daughter of a Fijian mother and Indian father, says the growth of her business, has been driven by her ability to relate to diverse clients and build long-lasting trusted relationships.

“Having mixed heritage parents has made me more aware of the nuances around culture, but it also has given me the ability to put race aside and see the individual” she said.

“I love to work with my clients and forge long-term relationships where we both learn and grow.”

Josie says she never advertises for business and receives regular referrals from existing contacts, many of who have been her clients since the very beginning.

“What’s important to my client, is important to me, I put my beliefs aside,” she said.

“Whenever anyone sits down in front of me, I don’t sit there with an A-Z checklist – we are all so different so I sit there with a blank sheet and learn off them.”

Her career journey that included a stint as a chef and running her own restaurant in Rozelle before working in Private Banking at CBA and St. George, has seen Josie navigate work environments that were not always inclusive of females.

However Josie acknowledges her father’s influence in giving her the confidence to always back herself.

“Culturally Indian women are raised to be subservient to men, however my Dad raised me and my sister as equals,” she said.

“We were allowed to make our own decisions. At 15 I got my first marriage offer, but I was empowered enough to say ‘no, I’m going to school’. I’m grateful to Dad for that.”

Setting up Astute Hunters Hill in 2014 gave Josie the opportunity to develop her own team and forge her own path in mortgage broking where relating to the client has always been more important than making money.

“When I was in banking I never really related to making money – for me it is all about giving back to the client,”

In addition to the advice she provides clients, Josie also mentors young people on finance and believes that mortgage brokers have a really important role to play in providing financial education to the community.

Josie believes the strong sense of community she sees in mortgage broking will only get better with more diversity in the industry.

“I have a big belief in the power of community in terms of how people support and guide each other, more diversity in our industry will be more reflective of a sense of community.”

In the post Royal Commission environment, Josie believes that the industry is now much more community-focused and it’s one of the biggest positive changes she has observed.

“The industry is now thinking much more long-term. It’s not just about writing the next loan – as an industry we are now looking more at the client and what they are trying to achieve.”

And in terms of offering advice to her younger self and other young females entering the mortgage broking industry, Josie says never say no to an opportunity.

“Everything I’ve done over the years, whether it be the right decision or the wrong decision, has brought me to where I am today.”