Profile
Michelle Bannister is director – head of distribution for La Trobe Financial’s Real Estate Credit Division and one of the mortgage industry’s most respected leaders. With over 30 years of experience, she brings deep expertise across the full lending lifecycle, from origination and credit assessment through to approval, settlement and distribution.
Bannister leads La Trobe Financial’s national sales team of 40 business development managers, driving broker engagement and business performance at scale. She is also responsible for the company’s Signature Club and Platinum Partner broker programs, whose members collectively contribute significant deal flow into the business. Her leadership has been instrumental in strengthening broker partnerships, elevating partner performance and delivering consistent national growth.
A highly influential figure within the broker community, Bannister’s contribution to the industry has been recognised through numerous awards, including the MFAA’s Excellence Award for Business Development Manager of the Year in 2014 and 2015, as well as recognition as Aggregator BDM for Commercial and as a previous MPA’s Elite Woman award recipient.
Beyond her sales leadership responsibilities, Bannister plays an active role across a number of internal committees, contributing to strategic decision-making and business improvement initiatives. She is also a committed member of the Women in La Trobe leadership group, where she mentors and supports emerging female leaders, helping to build capability, confidence and long-term career pathways across the organisation.
25/333 Collins St, Melbourne, Vic 3000
0428 829 898
info@skybridgecapital.com.au
linkedin.com/in/michellebannister
latrobefinancial.com.au
Michelle Bannister
Director – Head of Distribution
La Trobe Financial
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Bio
Milestones
1996–2010
2019–2011
2014–2015
2025
Present
1996: Joined La Trobe Financial
2006–2010: Promoted to Senior Manager Client Partnerships
1996–2010
2009: Promoted to Head of Credit
2011: Promoted to Head of Distribution
2019–2011
MFAA’s Excellence Award for Business Development Manager of the Year
2014–2015
MPA’s Elite Woman
2025
MPA’s Elite Woman
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