Our Story

Matt Punter

Professionally,  Matt worked with BOQ for a number of years including a Bank Manager role in Cairns. He then took a stake in a start-up mortgage broking business, which he then built up and sold, to become a business partner and Director of Conveyancing Works Solicitors. Matt and his partners grew this business to be the largest conveyancing business in Australia, before deciding to sell to Slater & Gordon. Following the successful sale of this business, Matt committed to a National Business Development Role with Slater & Gordon in Melbourne, to help set up Conveyancing nationally. 

In 2015 Matt and his family moved back to QLD and they set up The Savings Centre –  Mortgage Broking business on the Sunshine Coast.  The Savings Centre (now TSC Mortgage Brokers) is a multi- award-winning mortgage broking firm that works hand in hand with Punters Finance as a mainstream finance and mortgage broker. 

Personally, Matt has been involved in both residential and commercial property investment since 2000. Matt studied a Bachelor of Commerce and has completed a Cert IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking and is accredited with the FBAA. Matt has a Life Coaching qualification coupled with many years of personal and business life coaching experience.

On a lighter note, Matt loves all things sport – particularly Rugby League, Rugby Union (an avid Queenslander!) He is a keen trail runner and can now call himself an ultra marathon runner with a few 50km+ and 100km trail races under his belt. He also has a personal interest in raising funds for Type 1 Diabetes and volunteering as a Life Saver at Met Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club.

Nerida Punter

Nerida has a Bachelor of International Business, with a marketing major. She has worked in marketing-related roles for 20+ years with a particular focus on brand marketing, start-up branding and marketing strategy. She has owned her own consulting business for over 10 years working in the legal, financial, industrial and property industries, in between raising three children.

Nerida also loves sport and fitness, camping and travelling, great food and good coffee. Her family will tell you she’s a crazy runner too – with trail ultra marathons being her event of choice! Matt and Nerida have run the Blackall 100km trail race in the Sunshine Coast hinterland (several times) and done multiple 50km+ events across Australia, with the Larapinta Trail in the NT being one of their favourites. 

Sam Gardiner

Sam stumbled into mortgage broking by chance after an opportunity arose following an overseas adventure. He quickly figured out that broking fit with his strengths and skillsets. Sam has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business majoring in Management and a Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking Management under his belt. He has worked in brokerages since 2015 and prior to that worked in accounts within the insurance and construction sector for 4 years. Sam’s analytical approach and outside the box thinking means he helps provide clients with solutions to complex scenarios. He goes above and beyond by structuring lending for his clients’ future planning. He knows our lenders’ policies inside and out –  with an amazing ability to recall which lenders are offering which products at what rates on any given day. Sam particularly enjoys working with our active investor and developer clients who require specific structuring to achieve their goals.

Outside of work Sam enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching and playing sports or enjoying the latest Netflix drama. Having just recently purchased a new home, he has been spending a lot of time landscaping and gardening. Did you know that Sam also plays cricket for the Sunshine Coast Scorchers, and even captained the team for a few years?

Kylie Meredith

Kylie has worked her way up the ranks over the years, having begun on the ASIC help desk back in 2010, to earn her Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management, Certificate IV in Financial Services and Certificate III in Business Administration. Starting out as a loan processor and settlement agent in 2016, Kylie then moved to office manager and qualified as a mortgage broker in 2018 before joining Punters Finance in 2019.

Kylie loves being in a position to educate people and help clients reach their property goals and gain financial freedom. She goes above and beyond for her clients by making them entirely comfortable where no question is a silly question. As Broker Administration Manager, Kylie manages the onboarding team (quite brilliantly I might add!), ensuring that all clients are contacted in a timely manner; documents are collected and initial assessments conducted. 

Outside of work you’ll find her camping at the beach, in the bush, playing music or cooking up a storm (at least trying to!).  Kylie is our go-to for a great music playlist at any work function.

Roger Ruhle

Roger has been in the banking industry since leaving school, having worked for 30 years at ANZ. With his extensive knowledge and experience in the banking industry, Roger has been a qualified broker for almost 20 years having completed his  Diploma of Finance & Mortgage Broking Management and a Certificate IV in Financial Services. 

Rog loves working with residential, commercial, SMSF, Low Doc and SME loans. His goal is to ensure all clients are well looked after and that they get a positive outcome – every time. The greatest satisfaction he sees is assisting first home buyers, generally with very small deposits, turning their dreams into reality and owning their first property. Roger helps his clients succeed by problem-solving, finding realistic solutions all mixed with the appropriate can-do attitude to assist people from all walks of life.

You will see from all of the reviews and recommendations from clients on Google and Facebook, that Roger is knowledgeable, patient, kind and understanding.  For these reasons (and more), he is a great mentor and role model to our more junior brokers, trainee brokers and processors and we are grateful to have him on the Punters team.

When he’s not working you’ll find Roger playing golf, fishing, boating, gardening and spending time with his family and 6 grandchildren (not necessarily in that order). He also enjoys watching most sports, particularly rugby league and golf.

Adam McGuinness

With 8 years of brokerage experience under his belt and originally starting out as a loans processor, Adam has worked his way up to be a mortgage broker – and a very solid and reliable one at that! He has been in the brokerage industry since leaving school, having worked within a family mortgage broking business. Passionate about his role, Adam provides exceptional service to his clients with a down to earth and patient approach. With Adam, you can rest assured all of your needs are listened to.

Off the clock, Adam enjoys watching and playing sports including cricket, AFL and basketball. Adam is also one of several recent first home buyers on the Punters team, so has first hand experience of the challenges facing first home buyers. 

Jacqui Cramond

Jacqui is one of our amazing  Mortgage Broker Assistants who hails from  South Africa and actually worked as a mortgage broker there for 20 plus years.  Jacqui has been working in finance in Australia for the past few years and loves helping people own their own homes and seeing their dreams come true.  Jacqui says she loves the fact that no two days or deals are the same which means lots of diversity and lots of learning! 

Jacqui is a kind, empathetic person both to her peers and to clients and always gives 100% – in fact, one of her favourite quotes is ‘Price is what you pay, value is what you get’. 

Jac makes amazing desserts that we love to consume when we can, and like everyone on the Sunny Coast, Jac loves the beach and hangs out there most weekends with her family. 

Katrina Kowitz

Katrina, or KK for short, is a Mortgage Broker Assistant for our Broker support team.  Katrina is our Settlement Champion, ensuring all of our clients are guided through their settlement process to ensure their time frames are met without too much stress. She is diligent and determined in pushing lenders and conveyancing solicitors to settle on time, to meet clients expectations.  

 Prior to joining the Punters team, KK worked with Suncorp and Heritage Bank for over 15 years.  She even dabbled in real estate before seeing the light and moving into finance. Katrina is down to earth and loves helping people achieve their goals which usually revolves around homeownership or relieving stress around their finances.

 Outside of work, Katrina loves hanging out with her family, including her grandchildren and beloved furbaby. You might even run into Katrina at the next wedding that you attend, as she is also a  Marriage Celebrant – having performed lots of ceremonies and celebrations over the past 12 years.

Gavin Ryan

Gav is a qualified Mortgage Broker and works as such in Punters, but he also liaises with clients to guide them with their Estate Planning and Asset Protection – so ensuring clients have a Will and appropriate insurances (to cover their mortgage repayments, for example) if an unfortunate accident were to happen.  Gav has worked in Financial planning for more than ten years prior to working with Punters Finance, so has extensive knowledge in this field also. With his Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning and Certificate IV in Finance & Mortgage Broking – he has all bases covered! Gav even worked in Asset Finance for a while too, so if you need to buy a vehicle, he knows where to go to get the best deal.

Like all of the Punters brokers, Gav loves finding solutions for clients and is well equipped to think outside the box and come up with a plan of action that clients may not be aware or thought of. 

Gav loves living on the Sunny Coast and spends most weekends at the beach.  Be aware though – many moons ago, Gav was a member of the QLD Police Force, so mind yourself when you meet with him!

Lisa Young

Lisa has worked in the banking industry for 13 years, with the last 7 years spent as a Lending Manager on the Sunshine Coast. Lisa’s passion for helping people and her experience and understanding of finance is what led her to the mortgage broking industry. Lisa is determined in her problem solving and ‘give it a go attitude’ both of which helps to achieve her goal of a happy customer. Like all of the Punters Finance team, Lisa goes above and beyond by trying to educate her clients about the lending process and how to best approach each property purchase to get the best outcome.

When she’s not working, Lisa enjoys hiking, camping and anything outdoors really. A fun fact about Lisa is, having grown up in country Queensland, she occasionally rode her horse to school!

Nicole Johnston

Nikki has a Certificate III in Business Administration under her belt and over the past 32 years has worked in a variety of administration roles across a range of industries including insurance, the Brisbane City Council, Australian Red Cross Blood Service and Early Learning Centres.  She loves helping clients achieve their dreams through her professional and friendly service. Nicole enjoys working with the Punters team and loves that she is continually learning something different each and every day! Working on reception and at the front end of the business, Nikki regularly keeps in touch with clients to offer assistance and answer any questions along the way.

Nikki loves living on the Sunshine Coast and tends to spend a lot of time on our beautiful beaches. She lives with her son,  who is her best mate – so they tend to hang out a bit and go for drives discovering new places (have to get those L plate driving hours up!)

Morena Fari

Morena moved to the Sunshine State 3 years ago from the banking capital of the world Switzerland. With 3 and half years of experience in accounting and a Diploma of Event Management, Marketing and Administration under her belt Morena continuously provides professional service by assisting clients with their initial finance queries and documentation. 

While working in accounting Morena was also involved in property management, where she became very interested in finance and real estate. Morena joined the mortgage broking industry because she gets to work in finance while still being involved in the property industry.

Morena shares the front desk with Nikki, so you will be sure to meet her if you drop in.

In her spare time, Morena heads to the beach, goes hiking and camping. She also loves to travel and often goes away over the weekends to explore our beautiful area. Did we mention that Morena is also fluent in German, French and Spanish?