Australian Broker 5-Star Mortgage Innovators Award 2024
Accolades
Media
Milestones
2017
2019
2021
2022
2023
2024
Brighten Home Loans launched
2017
Expansion of teams and product suite | Cloud-based digital mortgage platform developed | First national aggregator partnership
2019
Inaugural $365 million public residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) transaction | ESG commitments strengthened with national accreditations
2021
Further expansion of distribution and credit teams | Build-out of broker network across Australia’s eastern seaboard
2022
Proprietary loan origination system launched | Further expansion of aggregator channels, reaching >10,000 brokers Australia-wide
2023
Appointment of Jason Azzopardi as new CEO | Sixth RMBS transaction with total issuance above $3 billion| Expansion into commercial lending
2024
Brighten’s warm glow of success and innovation
Innovation and agility are the keys to success in the fast-evolving world of lending, but not every lender gets the formula right to allow these traits to flourish.
Over his career, Brighten chief executive Jason Azzopardi has been fortunate enough to witness first-hand examples of leadership and culture that were great – and not so great.
“I think early in my banking career, I was very fortunate to work with some outstanding leaders,” Azzopardi reflects. “They taught me a lot about culture, customer, broker and execution, and a lot of those learnings have formed my leadership style today.
“But I also learned a lot from leaders who weren’t that great. And I promised myself that if I was ever fortunate enough to get the opportunity to lead a business one day, that I would make sure that those behaviours didn’t exist.”
Brighten’s rapid growth in the non-bank lending sector has been no accident. The company has strategically positioned itself as a preferred lender for brokers through a combination of product breadth and exceptional service.
“What stands us apart initially to brokers is our breadth of product offering,” Azzopardi says. “We started in some really niche products in the non-resident, expat and construction world, and we’ve been able to move into the prime and prime alt-doc markets.”
This diverse product range allows Brighten to cater to a wide array of customer needs, from niche markets to more mainstream lending requirements. However, Azzopardi is quick to point out that product range alone isn’t enough to secure Brighten’s position in the market.
“The key part has been our service to the street,” he emphasises. “We’ve recruited an amazing sales and credit team, and that really underpins the offering to our brokers.”
Brighten’s commitment to service excellence is evident in its team structure. The company has invested heavily in building a robust sales and credit team, ensuring that brokers have access to knowledgeable professionals who can provide quick commercial decisions.
“Brokers have a BDM team that they can rely on to get product information and scenario deals,” Azzopardi explains. “And we have a highly commercial credit team based in Sydney, able to provide quick decisions to brokers.”
Spotlight
Brighten is an Australian owned and regulated non-bank lender, responsible for the origination, underwriting, servicing and funding of our mortgage portfolio. We have well-established warehouse-funding arrangements with multiple top-tier banks, two public RMBS programs, and multiple wholesale credit funds to provide further funding diversification. Brighten’s comprehensive set of product offerings includes competitive home loans for prime and near prime borrowers and the self-employed, alternative-documentation loans, and loans for ex-pats and non-residents.
Company Profile
$2.5bn
Assets under management
100+
Number of staff
11,000+
Number of accredited brokers
6
Number of offices
15+
Number of
products
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Media
Accolades
Company Profile
Years of experience
25
Leadership snapshot
Former chief financial officer at Resimac
Held leadership roles at
Uno Home Loans, Macquarie Bank and Bankwest
Jason Azzopardi
Chief executive officer at Brighten
Lifting the lid on Brighten’s growth strategies, technological innovations and future plans to become the lender of choice for brokers
Read on
Jason Azzopardi, Brighten
Share
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2011
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2019
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
Brighten’s warm glow of success and innovation
Spotlight
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Lifting the lid on Brighten’s growth strategies, technological innovations and future plans to become the lender of choice for brokers
Read on
Share
Share
Read on
In today’s dynamic market, what brokers need and expect from non-bank lenders can change quickly. Azzopardi identifies three key priorities that have become increasingly important: speed, consistency and borrowing capacity.
“SLAs [service level agreements] and the time it takes for us to provide an answer to a customer and a broker is very, very important,” he says, “whilst certainty and consistency of decisioning is equally important.”
The competitive landscape has intensified, with lenders needing to offer increasingly rapid turnaround times. However, Azzopardi stresses that speed shouldn’t come at the expense of consistency.
“Brokers do want that certainty that when they lodged an application with us two months ago, and they lodge a really similar one two months later, that they’re going to get the same decision,” he explains.
This focus on consistency builds trust with brokers, who can confidently recommend Brighten to their clients knowing that decisions will be reliable and predictable.
In the current high-interest-rate environment, Azzopardi has noticed a shift in broker priorities.
“Clearly, it’s a high-interest-rate environment at the moment, and borrowing capacity has become a crucial part of the solution that brokers are trying to solve for consumers,” he says.
Brighten has responded to this challenge by developing products and assessment criteria that help consumers navigate the complexities of buying property in a high-interest-rate market. This adaptability to changing market conditions is a key factor in Brighten’s growing popularity among brokers.
Partly due to his experience in fintech companies, Azzopardi recognises the crucial role of technology in differentiating Brighten from its competitors. The company’s approach combines off-the-shelf solutions with proprietary systems, allowing for a tailored technological infrastructure that meets the specific needs of Brighten and its clients.
“We use a combination of buying technology and building our own,” Azzopardi explains. “This has served us pretty well so far.”
At the heart of Brighten’s technology strategy is a focus on enhancing the customer journey. “We see technology as an enabler for our people, to provide a better experience to the consumer and the broker,” Azzopardi says.
This approach has led to the development of a proprietary origination system that has garnered praise from industry professionals. “We’re very proud of our proprietary origination system that we’ve built,” Azzopardi states. “We have people joining from competitors, and we’re really proud that they’re very complimentary about our technology compared to others.”
AMA Non-Bank of the Year Excellence Award 2024
Australian Broker 5-Star Mortgage Innovators Award 2023
AMA Non-Bank of the Year Excellence Award 2023
Jason Azzopardi, Brighten
Brighten’s commitment to brokers extends beyond just offering competitive products and efficient service. The company has recently launched a comprehensive broker portal to provide real-time application tracking, product information and direct access to support staff.
“We’re very focused on our broker portal,” Azzopardi says. “It went live about three months ago, and we’re still assisting brokers to sign up.”
The portal serves as a one-stop shop for brokers, allowing them to track applications in real time, access product specifications and stay updated with the latest news and announcements. This investment in digital tools demonstrates Brighten’s commitment to making the lending process as smooth and transparent as possible for brokers and their clients.
In addition to digital tools, Brighten is also investing heavily in education and relationship-building. “We’re running a lot of education programs,” Azzopardi says. “We did a webinar last week for one of our aggregator partners where we had 350 brokers attend.”
These educational initiatives help brokers stay informed about Brighten’s products and services, enabling them to better serve their clients and navigate the complexities of the lending market.
“It’s my job to create a space that’s safe for people to not fear making mistakes and challenge the status quo. That’s what really forms the ability for a company to grow”
“Ultimately, what we really want to do is give brokers a one-stop shop for any type of customer they have”
Sydney
based in
1999
2003
2007
2015
2020
2021
Joins NAB as executive broker distribution
2021
Becomes head of private wealth north at Westpac
2020
Appointed head of asset finance at CBA
2015
Named captain of the Waratahs
2007
Named vice-captain of Australia's Rugby World Cup team
2003
Waugh debuts as a professional rugby player with the Waratahs; makes Test debut with the Wallabies
1999
Milestones
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Media
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Published 23 Sep 2024
Find out more
Find out more
Find out more
Find out more
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Specialty
Best In Mortgage
News
News
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
Firms
People
Copyright © 2024 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Specialty
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Copyright © 2024 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Specialty
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Copyright © 2024 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
Driving growth through service excellence and product diversity
Meeting evolving broker expectations
Adapting to the borrowing capacity challenge
Empowering brokers with tools and support
Both challenges and opportunities ahead
As Brighten continues its journey to become the lender of choice for brokers, Azzopardi acknowledges the task ahead. “We are in a highly competitive environment with a number of great brands out there who we compete against,” he says.
However, he remains optimistic about Brighten’s prospects. The company is expanding its offerings, with a commercial lending division recently launched and plans to provide brokers with a comprehensive suite of products.
“We’re very focused on, of course, our home loan offering, but our commercial lending division has been live for the majority of this year,” Azzopardi reveals. “The pilot was launched to a small number of brokers initially, but we’re about to go out to the entire broker market with our commercial lending offering.”
This expansion into commercial lending will allow brokers to use Brighten for a wider range of lending needs, including full-doc, alt-doc, lease-doc and short-term commercial loans, providing fast access to funds when customers need it most. This diversification strategy positions Brighten as a versatile lending partner for brokers, capable of meeting a broad spectrum of client needs.
“Ultimately, what we really want to do is give brokers a one-stop shop for any type of customer they have,” Azzopardi says. “We’ve got the product for them, and when they do deal with us, we’re easy to deal with.”
As the Australian lending sector continues to evolve, Brighten is well positioned to illuminate the path forward with its culture of innovation and agility. By blending cutting-edge technology with a strong commitment to broker relationships and exceptional customer service, Brighten is poised for continued growth. Its focus on being ‘easy to deal with’ promises to continue being a guiding light for brokers.
MFAA Excellence Awards Diversity and Inclusion national finalist 2022
Seeing leaders who fell short of expectations alongside better role models helped Azzopardi to develop a leadership philosophy centred on creating a safe space for innovation and growth.
“It’s my job to create a space that’s safe for people to not fear making mistakes and challenge the status quo,” he explains. “That’s what really forms the ability for a company to grow.”
This emphasis on fostering a safe culture of innovation is reflected in Brighten’s recent rise in the non-bank lending sector. Azzopardi’s leadership style encourages team members to think creatively and take calculated risks, driving the company’s growth and setting it apart from competitors.
Since taking the helm at the start of the year, Brighten’s path has been illuminated by innovation, service excellence and adaptability. By expanding its product offerings and investing heavily in technology, Brighten is positioning itself as the lender of choice for brokers. As the company continues to expand into new markets, including commercial lending, it aims to become a one-stop shop for brokers and borrowers navigating the complexities of today’s financial landscape.
AMA Non-Bank of the Year Excellence Award 2023
Australian Broker 5-Star Mortgage Innovators Award 2023
AMA Non-Bank of the Year Excellence Award 2024
Australian Broker 5-Star Mortgage Innovators Award 2024
Accolades