Inspiring Stories of Success and Leadership – ADELE ANDREWS
Golf has a long history of being played by many of the world’s most important and influential people, likely due to its rich history and the exceptional blend of expertise, accuracy, and companionship. The lush green fairways and tirelessly tended surroundings have witnessed the rise of remarkable female leaders and the Australian Women's Golf Network desires to highlight these inspiring individuals. In these interviews, we seek to identify and celebrate our members driving their industries forward who share a common love for the game of golf.
In this series, we continue to illustrate the success and fascinating stories of our AWGN members and women in golf exploring the triumphs, challenges, and invaluable lessons that have shaped their careers. We aim to shed light on the multifaceted roles women play in their industries, as savvy entrepreneurs, dedicated mentors, and agents of change.
For this installment of our series, we have curated excellent insight into the world of Personal Finance and mortgages with Adele Andrews. Adele has had an exceptionally successful career across a variety of different roles and industries from working as an Accountant at Earnst & Young to leading global talent acquisition teams internationally for Mastercard.
More recently, however, Adele has transitioned her focus to utilise her people and relationship skills to help others better manage their personal finances. This saw a transition into mortgage broking where she has continued to educate, assist, and guide people through the minefield that can be the Australian property market.
What led you from Human Resources & Talent Acquisition to specialise in the financial sector and mortgage brokering?
I initially started my career as an Accountant, working at EY and Cadbury, but after several years I felt that I was missing the people aspect. As such, I made the move into Talent Acquisition, which was very people and relationship-focused, and led to a move internationally. Originally, I had started a finance business as a “side hustle” when I was living and working in Asia. The business was initially started to support my husband’s business, which was focused on selling Australian property investments to Non-Residents. It wasn’t until we moved back to Australia that I realised that my “side hustle” was actually my perfect career – a blend of people, relationships, and finance led to my move into mortgage broking!
What is the most substantial misconception most people have about today’s housing market and financial services?
A lot of people don’t realise that there is so much help out there if you draw from the right networks and this help can also be for free. It can seem so overwhelming, which is why mortgage education is a big focus I have with all of my clients, as it sets the foundation of where they take their financial goals and objectives. If you don’t have a solid understanding of what a mortgage is, how to make it work FOR you, how you can leverage from it in order to get the property/properties that you want to build wealth with etc., you are flying blind. It is one option to put all of this into the hands of an “expert”, but it is so much more empowering to understand what you are doing yourself and make decisions based on that knowledge. It doesn’t need to be complicated; it really is just a case of breaking it down and understanding your numbers.
The other misconception that many currently hold is that the property market is going to crash – or they are waiting to time the market. We have such a housing shortage at the moment and there is so much pent-up demand for new property, it will strongly underpin any potential drop in prices. The best time to get into the market is when you can afford to do so – as “timing the market” often results in a missed opportunity that costs you equity.
In the financial sector, what are currently the most significant barriers to women in leadership positions and how would the industry best start to break these down?
Personally, I don’t feel that there are any barriers to leadership in the mortgage industry. Yes, we are in a hugely male-dominated field (only 24% of mortgage brokers are female) but with that comes so much opportunity. Data shows that in most households women are the decision-makers, and I feel that women are more likely to open up to other women when it comes to discussing finances. We have different ways of communicating – we listen differently in most instances - the relatability is different, and it is because of this that I am finding so much opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. It is incredibly rewarding and like anything in life, if you let the noise get to you, it will take you off your path. If you just focus on what it is that you are here to achieve, then anything is possible.
With the current economic climate, what should homeowners do and look out for to be best prepared for any changes that may come in the next 3-5 years?
Learn about your mortgage, it can appear to be a bit complex to understand, but it can be broken down easily with the right guidance. It should be the first place you look when it comes to putting money back into the household pocket. Align yourself with someone you trust who will sit with you every 12 months to go over your set of circumstances and ensure you are in the right home loan product for that moment. Get them to talk you through what the financial landscape looks like and how to best prepare. Make sure your debt is structured in a way that is efficient and effective – learn the difference between good and bad debt and most importantly, ensure you know the various ways you can minimise the amount of interest you are paying on your loan and how you can pay your loan down faster. Another really important tool I am encouraging all of my clients to use is a budgeting tool. It might sound so simple, but honestly when you really track where your money is going, it can be a huge eye-opener.
Changing the tune slightly, when did you first start playing golf, and what originally drew you to the game?
I started playing golf about 25 years ago as a bit of casual fun with some girlfriends. I then didn’t play for 24 years and was drawn to the AWGN through some of the marketing I had seen on social media. I made the decision to try one of their events last year and it was the best decision I made! I hadn’t played in over 20 years, and I didn’t know any of the ladies attending, yet it was such a warm, positive experience that I now try and attend as many of their events as I can. The learning is one thing, but to get out on the course with a group of like-minded ladies, with no judgment, having a laugh and genuinely trying to improve on the game is one of the most enjoyable days out that you can have!
In your experience, what are the social and networking advantages that golf has provided, and how has it influenced your personal and professional relationships?
As I alluded to before, by joining AWGN there have been so many advantages – both social and professional. To be honest, it feels as though the two have just melded together rather than being mutually exclusive, as it seems so effortless, and everyone is so genuine. The networking just happens very naturally, as culturally the group is very well aligned. You find yourself with a great group of ladies who enjoy a social catch-up, but they are also on the lookout for each other professionally when it comes to supporting each other’s businesses.
What else do you do in your downtime and how does it help you maintain your work-life balance?
I am currently retraining a horse we imported from England and raced, into being a show horse. I have had him for 8 months now - I used to compete at a fairly high level in equestrian when I was aged 4-21. I gave up riding because it was such a full-time commitment, but the love of the horse never waned. We raced a few, but I always had my eye on this boy as one to possibly keep, so when that became a reality, it was a huge thrill. I hadn’t ridden for over 17 years, so to take on a new racehorse and train him in his new craft is a huge journey for not only him but me as well! Hopefully, we get to the showing before the end of the year, so between that and work, there isn’t a lot of time for much else. But that is my balance, when I am riding him, I completely switch off work, and anything else, my cup is filled.
Lastly, what is the best golf or networking advice you have received?
Follow up – for both items! If you don’t follow up with your golf learnings, and if you don’t follow up after your networking events, then the initial experience will only take you so far.
