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Best Business Development Managers in Australia


Business development masters

More than 900 nominees were submitted for Australian Broker’s 5-Star BDMs 2023 awards. They were pared down to 150, and, ultimately, 55 outstanding BDMs were selected. They excelled in:

  • customer service  

     

  • responsiveness  

     

  • communication 

     

  • product knowledge  

 

One winner, Craig Nicholas, is a BDM at Resimac.

“Craig is not only a gentleman but also a Resimac ambassador and expert,” says the broker who took part in AB’s survey. “He knows policy back to front, gets back to you in a super timely manner, and is always clear on what is (and is not) a deal. He takes the time to make sure the broker is well equipped to speak with clients and referral partners alike.”

For Nicholas, being a top performer means passing “BDM 100” and mastering the art of returning emails, calls and visiting clients. In addition, he explains his style of working, which includes:

 

  • consistently interacting with brokers to ensure loans get settled   

     

  • working closely with internal resources to manage expectations for brokers and clients  

     

  • drawing on comprehensive experience from across multiple industries, such as banking  

 

Craig Nicholas, Resimac

“It’s important to clearly articulate the niche in which you are able to provide a solution for brokers”

Craig NicholasResimac

 

Ubank’s Joshua Duncan is another of 2023’s winning cohort.

“Joshua is very responsive and always helpful in terms of scenario questions, file escalation as per urgency, existing client pricing or any general question,” says a respondent broker. “He always replies.”

Duncan says he purposely:

  • leverages responsiveness to build strong broker interactions

     

  • uses transparent feedback and people skills to maintain genuine relationships  

     

  • continually upskills and stays updated on processes and policies to deliver outstanding support  

 

Another winner is Tes Anderson of Bankwest.

“Tes is a superstar,” says the broker who nominated her. “Not only will she answer the phone, but she will also go into a fight with credit when they get it wrong. Tes asked me at the beginning of 2021 to give BW a deal and try them out. Now, two years later, BW is one of the top lenders, and it’s all down to the support of Tes.”

Anderson sets herself apart by:

  • being an expert and reliable resource   

     

  • offering constant knowledge on Bankwest and the mortgage industry  

     

  • partnering with brokers to deliver excellent customer service   

 

How the 5-Star BDMs plan to gain more business

AB’s survey delved into what brokers thought BDMs could do to win more of their business over the next 12 months.

Some anonymous broker feedback for Nicholas includes:

 

  • “Keep doing what Craig does best. No complaints here. He is the best in the game by far.”   

     

  • “Be like Craig Nicholas from Resimac, and business will be running through the door.”  

     

  • “Keep his existing operating rhythm. He is exceptional.”   


   

Joshua Duncan, Ubank

“My formula is simple: the more brokers you connect with, the more opportunity there is to win business”

Joshua Duncan Ubank

 

Meanwhile, Nicolas expressed his own ideas on how he could build more business.

“I just need to consistently deliver what I’m delivering at the moment,” he says. “I think it’s about providing certainty, whether it’s for a loan approval or following up on broker visits. This micro certainty translates into macro stability that you can present to your customers.”

 

Some broker feedback from Duncan’s nominators includes:

  • “Pick up the phone. Work with the broker on deals and be upfront if it is a deal they will support.”   

     

  • “Ubank rates are very competitive, and BDM is supportive, so I am very sure I will do more business with Ubank.”  

     

“Over the next 12 months, I plan to continue to network and connect with more brokers through industry events, coffee catchups, webinars, etc.,” says Duncan. “My formula is simple: the more brokers you connect with, the more opportunity there is to win business.”

And the brokers who nominated Anderson say the way for her and other BDMs to build business over the next year is to:

  • “Be more like Tes.”  

     

  • “Continue to support brokers with clear and honest communication about what they can and cannot do.”   

 

“I am essentially the face of Bankwest for my brokers,” says Anderson. “The number one thing I always do is sell my personal brand as well as the brand of Bankwest. And one of the other things I want to do is always work very closely with the decision-makers within Bankwest to influence change within the bank to improve our offerings.”

 

Tes Anderson, Bankwest

“The timing of our response, the way we communicate, the way we give advice, and what advice we give are all part of having a customer-centric service to brokers”

Tes AndersonBankwest

 

5-Star BDMs reflect on what’s most important

to brokers

As part of AB’s survey, brokers ranked various criteria, with the results displayed below.

Nicolas broadly agrees with the broker rankings.

“I would only have minuscule differences between the orders of priority because I see them all as being equal,” he says. “If you look at one in isolation, you diminish the value that a BDM provides.”

Duncan says, “The order of importance is very reminiscent of the service that brokers expect and what we as BDMs should be striving to maintain; however, I would also say that responsiveness and customer service go hand in hand.”

In light of the results, Anderson emphasises the importance of responsiveness.

“I’ve had conversations with brokers where they feel some BDMs do not even return calls or respond to emails, which is crazy,” she says. “The timing of our response, the way we communicate, the way we give advice, and what advice we give are all part of having a customer-centric service to brokers.”

 

How are 5-Star BDMs navigating the current

challenging market conditions?

AB’s winners reflect on the BDM landscape and going forward, following 11 interest rate rises in the year preceding May 2023.

“As a by-product of an easy market and low interest rates, it was very easy for lenders to acquire business without too much work,” says Nicholas. “Our role was more about smoothing the process operationally so that we could get to a settlement faster. Now, we’ve got a shift with interest rates going higher and affordability for borrowers becoming less and less with every rate rise. It’s important to clearly articulate the niche in which you are able to provide a solution for brokers.”

Meanwhile, Duncan says, “With the increasing transformation towards a more digital landscape, it’s vital that BDMs are knowledgeable and able to help educate brokers to navigate the changing environment, so that they can in turn educate their customers and provide a seamless approach to digital home loans.”

And Anderson says, “To see a broker and hand over marketing and brochures to them, it may be that in the past that’s how BDMs did work, but we need to be adding value to our brokers’ businesses.”

 

  • Ali Hassan

    ANZ
  • Andrew Collins

    Apricity Invoice Finance
  • Andrey Tabachnikov

    Westpac
  • Anil Keskin

    St.George Bank
  • Brett Winzer

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Cassandra Vella

    RedZed
  • Cassandra Woodyard

    Connective
  • Chantelle Ball

    Connective
  • Chris Patsouras

    Finsure
  • Claire Watts

    St.George Bank
  • Daisy Yu

    Finsure
  • Danielle Esposito

    Commonwealth Bank
  • David Tickle

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Drew Clegg

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Elyvin Maharaj

    Macquarie Group
  • Felicity Wu

    Finsure
  • Gabrielle Aoun

    ORDE Financial
  • Giselle Stellenberg

    HSBC
  • Grant James

    Commonwealth Bank
  • Greg Durie

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Harry Stewart

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Helen Bozikis

    Bankwest
  • Herry Tjandrasusilo

    Bank Australia
  • Jaynesh Nair

    Connective
  • Jenny Zeng

    NAB
  • Jess Stevens

    National Mortgage Brokers
  • Jodie Hanson

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Joshua Duncan

    Ubank
  • Kelly Mullen

    Plenti
  • Maddie Matthews

    Plenti
  • Malcolm Elias

    Macquarie Group
  • Mayank Nangia

    St.George Bank
  • Natasha Paszyn

    Plenti
  • Nicholas Brookes

    ING Australia
  • Nicole Vladich

    Mortgage Choice
  • Omar Ibrahim

    St.George Bank
  • Pasquale Caia

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Rachael Tedesco

    Connective
  • Rob Day

    Macquarie Group
  • Roohi Kumar

    St.George Bank
  • Sam Tang

    Westpac
  • Samantha Kyriakidis

    Pepper Money ANZ
  • Sanjay Chandiramani

    Mortgage Choice
  • Simon Adam

    Finsure
  • Sokun Tait

    Westpac
  • Staci Karas

    RedZed
  • Tes Anderson

    Bankwest
  • Tim Bingham

    Homesec Business Finance
  • Tremaine Pass

    Macquarie Group
  • Van Vu

    Finsure
  • Victor Sem

    St.George Bank
  • Zack Raad

    Bankwest

In February, Australian Broker carried out extensive research to determine Australia’s top business development managers for the third annual 5-Star BDMs award. AB researchers began by conducting a survey with a wide range of brokers. The team contacted hundreds of brokers across the nation and, through in-depth phone interviews, encouraged brokers to identify the top-performing BDMs.

Brokers were asked to name the BDMs who gave them the best support based on four criteria: customer service, responsiveness, communication and product knowledge. From over 900 nominations, the list was whittled down to 150 BDMs, with 55 individuals who were rated excellent across all categories receiving 5-Star awards.

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