The winners of REIA’s National Awards for Excellence (NAFE) 2022 have been announced with a host of industry leaders being honoured across 21 categories.
More than 300 finalists and supporters converged on Melbourne for the night with awards announced across different sectors of the industry including residential and commercial agencies, residential and commercial sales, property management, business brokers, buyers’ agents, community service, innovation and communications.
This year, the prowess of women in real estate stood out, with females taking the nation’s top title for 10 out of the 13 individual awards.
One of the highlights of the night was the REIA President’s Award, given to those who have made an outstanding contribution to real estate through years of accomplishment, involvement with their real estate institute, leadership and example.
This year’s President’s Award was presented to Neville Pozzi, who has made a remarkable difference to real estate nationally through his lifetime of work with Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).
Over the past 10 years as the immediate past REIWA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Pozzi has been instrumental in implementing the development and growth of the organisation and making it one of the most successful institutes in the country.
Mr Pozzi established REIWA’s accreditation program, recognising best practice in REIWA members and advancing trust in and appreciation for what real estate agencies do.
The Residential Salesperson of the Year award was taken out by Taney Jain from Reliance Manor Lakes in Victoria.
Mr Jain said it was a privilege to win the award, especially given the high calibre of the finalists.
“This was really big for me because I didn’t expect it at all,” Mr Jain said
“There were a lot of really experienced agents in the running and just to be a finalist is a really big thing.
“It actually gave me the belief that what I am doing is right, not just in terms of the sales numbers but also the ethics, the way we deal with buyers and vendors as well as things like utilising the right technology and training other agents.”
While the property market has been strong, Mr Jain said conditions over the the past year had been some of the hardest he’s experienced.
“While it’s been a good 12 months for real estate, in Victoria we spent 260 days in lockdown, which was the highest in the world,” he said.
“We really had to be resilient through that.
“Our team had to conduct meetings in our cars in the parking lot and we couldn’t even show people through houses.”
Mr Jain said while it was an honour to win the award, he now had to maintain the standards he has set himself.
“I was listening to a podcast recently and it said, ‘The bigger the blessing the bigger the battle’,” he said.
“When I won the award that’s exactly what I thought because now the battle with myself will be bigger as I’ll have to keep on working just as hard and keep improving every day.”
REIA National Awards for Excellence 2022: Winners
EXCELLENCE IN THE INDUSTRY
Achievement Award, sponsored by Hutly
• Bianca Way, home.byholly, ACT
Community Service Award, sponsored by Real Estate Employers Federation
• Cathy Baker, Belle Property Central Coast, NSW
Innovation Award, sponsored by Before You Bid (BYB)
• Canberra Property Partners, ACT
Operational Support Award, sponsored by AON
• Rachel Boggs, Caine Real Estate, VIC
Operational Leadership Award, sponsored by Hutly
• Kelly Blake, Cunninghams, NSW
Marketing and Communications Award, sponsored by Realbot
• Wiseberry Heritage Group, NSW
Marketer of the Year, sponsored by List Ready
• Saan Bramich, Harrison Agents, TAS
Business Development Manager of the Year, sponsored by AON
• Amber Riley, PRD Hobart, TAS
Business Broker of the Year, sponsored by REI Super
• Nikki Katz,The Business Sales Agency, SA
Buyers’ Agent of the Year
• Liz Sterzel, Property Wizards, WA
RESIDENTIAL
Residential Sales Team of the Year
• Blackbird & Wren Real Estate Sunbury, VIC
Residential Salesperson of the Year
• Taney Jain, Reliance Manor Lakes, VIC
Residential Property Manager of the Year, sponsored by Terri Scheer
• Emily Larsen, Independent Property Group, ACT
Residential Property Management Team of the Year, sponsored by Terri Scheer
• Leah Jay, NSW
Small Residential Agency of the Year, sponsored by REA Group
• My Agent, NSW
Medium Residential Agency of the Year, sponsored by REA Group
• Absolute Real Estate, NT
Large Residential Agency of the Year, sponsored by REA Group
• Harris Real Estate, SA
COMMERCIAL
Commercial Agency of the Year, sponsored by Cirrus 8
• CBRE, VIC
Commercial Property Manager of the Year, sponsored by Cirrus 8
• Kadison News, Burgess Rawson, ACT
Commercial Salesperson of the Year
• George Burbury, Knight Frank Tasmania, TAS
President’s Award
• Neville Pozzi, CEO, REIWA, WA
