Profile
Mary Yannopoulos is the founder and director of Skybridge Capital, a Sydney-based finance broking firm. Her journey into finance began when she started referring people within her network to bankers at her own bank. Encouraged by her family to explore the industry further, she completed her Certificate IV and Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking and became a broker in July 2015.
Yannopoulos’ broking career grew steadily through referrals from family, friends, clients and professional contacts. As the business expanded, she brought loan writers into the team and trained them using the practical knowledge and experience she had gained across residential, commercial and more complex lending scenarios.
Today, she leads a close-knit, all-female team and remains closely involved in supporting both her staff and clients. Her approach is practical, personal and focused on finding suitable solutions for each client’s circumstances.
Yannopoulos has received several PLAN Australia industry awards across commercial broking, asset finance and excellence in finance. She continues to grow Skybridge Capital through long-term relationships, referrals and a strong commitment to client service.
Suite 37, 26–32 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont, NSW 2009
0428 829 898
info@skybridgecapital.com.au
linkedin.com/in/mary-yannopoulos-b06089267
skybridgecapital.com.au
Mary Yannopoulos
Director/Broker
Skybridge Capital
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Bio
Milestones
2015
2019–2020
2021
2022
Present
Completed a Certificate IV and Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking and commenced working as a mortgage and finance broker
2015
Received PLAN Australia Platinum Excellence in Finance recognition
2019–2020
Named PLAN Australia NSW/ACT Commercial Broker of the Year and National Commercial Broker of the Year
Received Diamond Excellence in Finance recognition
2021
Named PLAN Australia NSW/ACT Commercial Broker of the Year and NSW/ACT Asset Finance Broker of the Year
Received Diamond Excellence in Finance recognition
2022
Founder and Director at Skybridge Capital since 2015
Present
Milestones
As a founding member of WOW! (Women. Opportunity. Winning.), an employee resource group created for all women of Ryan Specialty, Phillips Topping has long championed for women in the industry.
“It’s very important to set an example and to not only inspire but mentor other females,” she adds.
In addition to her sharp marketing eye, the key to Phillips Topping’s success lies in her high-energy approach and positive attitude.
“As the leader of a team, it’s important to motivate and encourage your team members. People work very hard and do their best and it’s important to recognize these efforts. For my career overall, my attitude has been one of curiosity. The more you can learn, the better you’ll understand the business, and then the deeper your knowledge will become, making you a better team member.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
Empathy underpins that discipline. Prickett has struggled in the industry. She has felt what it is like when promised support does not materialize. Having worked across almost every function in the company, she understands operational detail and the pressure agents face. That shared experience shapes her leadership.
Structural barriers also shaped her path. As a woman and a mother, she encountered the assumption that serious business building required keeping priorities “out of order for a time.” She also experienced the double standard that frames firm women as difficult while praising similar behaviour in men.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing,” Prickett says.
She wants to dismantle the expectation that women must choose between career and family, or between strength and kindness. In her view, leadership demands both conviction and care.
Being named an Elite Woman carries weight. Prickett did not have female role models in the industry when she started. She hopes visibility changes that. “I hope I can be an example. Not of perfection, but of persistence. Of building from your values and staying true to who you are.”
The legacy Prickett is still defining centres on proof – proof that a large, profitable company can grow without sacrificing integrity; proof that agents can build real assets while keeping their priorities intact; and proof that leadership does not require abandoning who you are to succeed.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group
“What I’ve learned is that when you build from your values, when you put people first, when you do the right thing even when it’s hard, that becomes your plan”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group