Andrea wins national prize

From the archive, first published Sunday 15th Apr 2007.

A HOCKLEY mortgage broker has won the biggest national prize in her speciality for the second year running.

Andrea Rozario was presented with the Mortgage Strategy Release Broke of the Year award by William Hague MP, the former Conservative party leader, now shadow spokesman on foreign affairs.

The prize was a testimony not just to Andrea's success as a saleswoman, but also to her dedicated campaigning on behalf of the industry, according to the judges.

Andrea said: "I want to raise public awareness to the benefits of equity release and dismiss some of the fears fuelled by lack of knowledge or misinformation. I am on a mission. I want equity release to grow.

"I also recognise I've played something of a pioneering role as a woman in what has always been very much a man's world.

"Yet, it's a fast-growing industry, already worth more than £5billion a year, and many of the people who seek out our services are, of course, women."

This year marks another major move forward for Andrea. Her business has just joined forces with Hertfordshire-based Private Finance, one of the largest companies in her field.

She said: "I'll still be concentrating on Essex and able to make my own decisions as before, but it will be good to have the support and resources of a large organisation behind me."

At the awards ceremony, Andrea enjoyed "a lively chat" with William Hague.

She said: "Whatever his public image, he comes across as funny and entertaining - and also very well informed about mortgage equity release.