MFAA CEO Anja Pannek Joins the COSBOA Board. The Release Names Four Pressures Brokers Share With Every Small Business

1. What the MFAA announced

The MFAA says Ms Pannek’s election “further strengthens the relationship between the MFAA and COSBOA and creates another avenue to ensure the experiences of mortgage and finance brokers are represented in broader policy discussions affecting Australian small businesses.”

The release gives the reason in one line. With the majority of MFAA members operating small businesses, Ms Pannek said her election would complement the MFAA’s advocacy on issues affecting members both as brokers and as business owners.

That distinction is worth sitting on. The MFAA frames this as a different channel: the broker as an employer and business owner, represented alongside other small business organisations, rather than only as a credit professional.

2. What COSBOA is, and how a Board seat works

The release describes COSBOA as “Australia’s peak body representing the interests of small businesses, bringing together industry associations and organisations from across the country to advocate on the issues affecting small business owners.”

It’s member-based. According to the MFAA, representatives of COSBOA members “have the opportunity to nominate for voluntary positions on its Board and contribute to its advocacy and strategic direction.” The MFAA joined COSBOA in 2024. So this is a member organisation’s CEO winning a voluntary Board position, not the MFAA being handed a policy role.

The release doesn’t say how many Board seats there are, how many people stood or how long Ms Pannek’s term runs. Those details aren’t in the release, so they aren’t here.

3. The four pressures Ms Pannek named

Ms Pannek set out what she wants to bring to the Board:

She then listed the pressures: “They face many of the same pressures as other small businesses, including rising operating costs, regulatory complexity, productivity challenges and finding and retaining great people.”

• Rising operating costs. The release doesn’t say which costs or give a figure.
• Regulatory complexity. The release doesn’t say which rules or reforms it means.
• Productivity challenges. The release doesn’t expand on this one either.
• Finding and retaining great people. Ms Pannek describes brokers as “employers” in the line above, and COSBOA’s Ms Cappuccio says they “employ people”.

That’s the whole list. The release doesn’t set out a policy position on any of the four, so treat them as the agenda the MFAA says it will bring, not as commitments.

4. Who is on the other side of the table

COSBOA CEO Skye Cappuccio welcomed the election in the release. “Anja brings significant leadership and advocacy experience, as well as a strong understanding of the opportunities and pressures facing small business owners,” she said.

Ms Cappuccio also described the role brokers play outside their own businesses: “Mortgage and finance brokers are an important part of Australia’s small business community. They run businesses and employ people, while also helping consumers and other small businesses access the finance they need.”

On the MFAA’s own account of Ms Pannek’s background, she “brings more than 20 years’ experience in financial services to the COSBOA Board, including extensive leadership experience across mortgage distribution, aggregation and banking.” Before joining the MFAA as CEO in September 2022, she was CEO of PLAN Australia and previously held senior leadership roles at NAB, Loan Market Group, Advantedge Financial Services and Challenger Limited.

5. What to do with it on your desk

A Board seat doesn’t change a single file, and nothing in the release changes an obligation. What it may change is who is in the room when small business policy gets discussed. These are practical ways to use it:

1. Tell the MFAA what is costing your business. Ms Pannek said, “Our members are at the centre of everything we do”. If you want your operating-cost or staffing pressure reflected in the conversation, tell the MFAA.
2. Separate the broker rules from the business rules. Keep a short list of what hits you as a credit professional, and a second list of what hits you as an employer and business owner. They may now go to different tables.
3. Look at what’s already on offer. The release points to She Means and Cyber Wardens, which it says provides free cybersecurity education for small businesses.
4. Watch for outputs. The release sets out no submissions, timelines or policy positions. Look for the MFAA and COSBOA’s published advocacy to see what comes of it.

Ms Pannek closed the release on this note: “When small businesses and their industry associations work together, we have a stronger voice. I’m looking forward to contributing the perspective of our members and ensuring mortgage and finance brokers continue to be part of these important national conversations.”