Judges at the Tasmanian Perpetual Trustees Business Excellence Awards commended Carrie Twine of Uploans, Launceston on her ‘community focus’.
Carrie, who started Uploans in 2014 with business partner Kristy Dunphy went home with the Young Professional Of The Year award at last Saturday’s awards evening.
Both Carrie and Kirsty are from a real estate background and seen a gap in the market to offer a more service-focused form of finance broking within Launceston.
“I’d been living in Vietnam for a while, and when I came home I just wanted to have a job that would make me feel like I was helping people,” Carrie said.
“This felt like a perfect step to be able to do something that was directly helping others.
“I love helping first home buyers because it’s helping them through one of the most exciting events of their lives, getting people to where they want to be is a big motivator for me.
“The thing I love about finance broking is that it isn’t transactional; it’s about building a relationship with your client.”
Being involved within the community is key for Carrie and the team at Uploans, and they regularly create opportunities to speak with students, whether it is about finance or leadership.
“Getting in in-front of kids is one of the most important things for us to be able to do,” Carrie said.
“From what I can see, there is a real lack of education around basic finance concepts in schools, and it means a lot of kids will leave school without even a basic understanding of interest and what that means.”
Carrie also has a global community focus and has been working with children in Vietnam for 14 years, something she describes as “a lifelong commitment.”
“When I first started working with these kids they were two and four years old, and now they are teenagers I now have five kids in university, and that has been the biggest reward of my entire life,” Carrie said.
“These children were all orphans and living in appalling conditions and now watching them get to where they are is a massive blessing.”
Carrie said winning Young Professional Of The Year had encouraged her to continue her work both locally and globally.
“I’ve always had my eye on the awards and been aware of others who have won them and thought ‘that’s completely out of my league,’” Carrie said.
“I’ve never been a person to strive for recognition in any way shape or form.
"However I just can’t believe the kindness of everyone since winning the award.
“It has made me even more determined to continue the work that I do both locally and in Vietnam.
“I have a passion for continuing my work and being more involved with students and also within the migrant community to help them buy their first homes.”
