Abbot is a member of the Professional Lenders Association Network (PLAN) broking network and Julie Stevens, national manager of PLAN New Zealand praised Abbot for his professionalism and his contribution to the broking industry.
"He doesn't just think of himself, he thinks of the industry."
She said he viewed his broking practice as a business and brought "new meaning to the words process and systems".
Abbot has served on the executive committee of the New Zealand Mortgage Brokers Association (NZMBA) and Stevens said he had always been willing to share his knowledge with colleagues.
"He is passionate about the industry and about the survival of the industry. He doesn't see other brokers as competitors."
Abbot works extensively with property investors and has become a respected commentator in the media on mortgage strategy and industry issues. He has more than 23 years' experience in the banking and finance industries and started his career as a mortgage broker in 1999, joining PLAN in September 2002 when he formed his own business. He has been the PLAN broker of the year three times and has been an NZMBA regional broker of the year finalist every year since 2002, and winner for the Wellington region in 2006.
The broker of the year is chosen from a number of regional finalists nominated by mortgage lenders. Regional winners are assessed by a panel of judges on the basis of several criteria, including presentations made by the brokers.
The first runner up for 2008 was Craig Seton, regional winner for Central North Island. Second runner-up was Mark Papps, winner for Nelson/Marlborough. Abbot was winner for Greater Wellington and the other regional winners were: for North Auckland, Christine Lockie; Mid Central Auckland, Sue Tierney; Greater Auckland, Bruce Patten; Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Lynn Houghton; Otago/Southland/Dunedin, Glenda French. The winner in the specialist lending category was Adrienne Teape.
