Profile
As the mortgage industry races towards automation over relationships, Alan Borthwick is deliberately taking a different approach. The DUX Financial founder embraces technology and AI to improve efficiency behind the scenes, but believes the real value of advice lies in genuine human connection. That client-first philosophy has now earned him a place among NZ Adviser’s Top Brokers for 2026, an honour determined by client nominations and service ratings rather than revenue.
“While the world moves faster with increasing reliance on AI and technology, our focus at DUX Financial is heading in the opposite direction for client interaction,” he says. “Our goal is not to speed up transactions but to slow down where it matters, taking the time to truly understand each client’s situation and deliver thoughtful, personalised guidance.”
It is a conviction shaped by 23 years in the industry. A Certified Financial Planner, Borthwick admits his career began as a matter of chance rather than design. “I got into financial advice to get out of bar work, and it’s been onwards ever since,” he says. More than two decades later, he remains as passionate about helping clients as he was at the start.
That passion shows in how the business grows. Rather than relying on heavy marketing, DUX Financial attracts clients almost entirely through word of mouth and referrals. “By focusing on doing the best possible job for every client, they naturally tell their friends and family,” Borthwick says. “That organic growth has been very rewarding.”
Keeping those clients is just as deliberate. The firm wraps a full team around each client to support them through all their financial needs, staying available without ever hard-selling products. Borthwick credits DUX Financial’s exceptional and large team of support staff, all aligned on the same client-first outcome, for the high level of personal service clients have come to expect.
1/60 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011
0800 000 987
teamred@duxfinancia.co.nz
linkedin.com/in/alanborthwick
duxfinancial.co.nz
Alan Borthwick
Director and Certified Financial Planner DUX Financial Services
Read on
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
2003–2026
2016
2017
2020–2026
Present
2003–2006: Mortgage Adviser – Qualified in Mortgages, KiwiSaver, Investing, Insurances
2007: PLAN NZ Specialist Lending Adviser of the Year
2009: Nominated Adviser of the Year
2003–2026
CFP certification
2016
Booster Rising Star Award
2017
MySolutions Top Achiever
2020–2026
Mortgage Advisor at Guardian Smith since 2025
Present
Milestones
“By focusing on doing the best possible job for every client, they naturally tell their friends and family. That organic growth has been very rewarding”
Alan Borthwick,
DUX Financial Services
“Our goal is not to speed up transactions but to slow down where it matters, taking the time to truly understand each client’s situation and deliver thoughtful, personalised guidance”
Alan Borthwick,
DUX Financial Services
youtube.com/@summitpw
facebook.com/summitprivatewealth
instagram.com/summit.wealth
x.com/SummitPrivate
For Borthwick, satisfaction means delivering the result the client set out to achieve while keeping the process smooth and low stress during what can be an emotional time, such as buying a home. He says his greatest strength is cutting through complexity to find the best path forward, staying calm no matter how challenging the lending scenario.
While he has celebrated plenty of loan approvals that others said could not be done, the achievements that mean the most are different. What stands out most to him is helping clients pay off their mortgages far faster than they expected. “Seeing the real difference this makes to their financial freedom and peace of mind is incredibly rewarding,” he says.
Looking ahead, the targets are not about volume. Borthwick is aiming for higher client satisfaction and stronger long-term financial outcomes, with an ambition “to be known as the adviser clients can rely on for calm, considered advice in an increasingly digital world.”
It is an approach summed up by the team’s shared commitment: clear, practical mortgage and financial advice that reduces stress and builds lasting financial resilience for New Zealand families.