Headquarters:
Sydney
Year founded:
2017
Number of employees:
100
Phone:
13 14 88
Email:
info@brighten.com.au
Website:
brighten.com.au
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/brighten-home-loans
“We place a strong emphasis on innovation and technology-driven solutions”
Jason Azzopardi,
CEO, Brighten Home Loans
Jason Azzopardi
Director and Head of Credit
Craig Thompson
Director and Chief Operating Officer
Adam Moore
Director and Head of Funding
and Securitisation
Leadership
Jason Azzopardi has nearly 25 years of experience in finance, working for financial institutions in Australia and London. Prior to joining Brighten, he was the CFO at Resimac. He also led Resimac’s Manila operations and concurrently served as CEO of Resimac NZ. Previously, he held key roles at Uno Home Loans, Macquarie Bank and Bankwest, where he successfully implemented a number of strategic initiatives, working across finance, treasury, distribution, operations, data and business intelligence, brand and customer experience. Azzopardi is a fellow of CPA Australia and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Director and Head of Credit
Jason Azzopardi
Craig Thompson has over 20 years of experience building and implementing technology solutions across the financial services, legal and hospitality sectors to unlock new business capabilities, drive efficiency and solve business problems. Prior to joining Brighten, he worked for MA Financial Group as head of technology across its asset management, corporate advisory and lending divisions. He was responsible for the development and delivery of MA’s IT strategy, transformation program and technology roadmap. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management from the University of South Africa.
Director and Chief Operating Officer
Craig Thompson
Adam Moore has over 14 years of debt funding experience. Prior to joining Brighten, he was a member of the treasury and securitisation team at Resimac, responsible for funding Resimac’s residential mortgage portfolio. In this role, Moore managed various warehouse relationships along with arranging RMBS transactions to meet the ongoing funding requirements of the business. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance) degree from Macquarie University, a Bachelor of European Business from the Ecole de Management de Normandie and a Master of Applied Economics from the University of Seville.
Director and Head of Funding and Securitisation
Adam Moore
“We place a strong emphasis on innovation and technology-driven solutions”
Jason Azzopardi,
CEO, Brighten Home Loans
“We take pride in our ability to quickly adapt to both customer and broker feedback”
Jason Azzopardi,
CEO, Brighten Home Loans
Leadership
“We take pride in our ability to quickly adapt to both customer and broker feedback”
Jason Azzopardi,
CEO, Brighten Home Loans
“We place a strong emphasis on innovation and technology-driven solutions”
Jason Azzopardi,
CEO, Brighten Home Loans
Leadership
Chris Meaker
Director and Head of Distribution
Chris Meaker has over 21 years of experience in the finance industry, with a focus on lending, business development and sales management. Prior to joining Brighten, he worked for La Trobe Financial, where he was an executive general manager and head of origination channels. Previously, he worked for Pepper Financial Services Group as a state manager and senior business development manager. Meaker holds a diploma in finance and mortgage broking.
Director and Head of Distribution
Chris Meaker
Stuart Murray
Director and Head of Credit
Stuart Murray has over 21 years of experience in the Australian financial services industry where he has specialised in credit assessment and mortgage underwriting. Prior to joining Brighten, he was the head of Lending Australia and responsible manager for Resimac, where he was responsible for management of all aspects of Resimac’s Australian underwriting team. Prior to that, he worked in mortgage credit assessment at St George Bank and Bluestone Mortgages. Murray holds qualifications in mortgage finance and mortgage broking, as well as training and assessment.
Director and Head of Credit
Stuart Murray
Brighten Home Loans is committed to servicing underserved segments within the lending market through its comprehensive suite of lending products, which includes Full Doc and Alt Doc loan options as well as specialised loans such as construction and bridging loans. These offerings cater to a diverse range of borrowers, including
“We take pride in our ability to quickly adapt to both customer and broker feedback”
Jason Azzopardi,
CEO, Brighten Home Loans
Stephen Murphy
Director and Head of Lending Operations
Jennifer Xu
Director and Head of Marketing
Yvonne Ching
Associate Director and Head
of Client Services
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Stephen Murphy has over 25 years of experience in the Australian financial services industry, where he has specialised in roles in mortgage underwriting, customer experience and banking operations. Prior to joining Brighten, he was the senior customer service operations manager at Pepper Money, where he was responsible for management of all aspects of customer service and mortgage servicing. He has also managed customer experience for RAMS and held the role of head of credit service at Community First Credit Union and Bluestone. Murphy holds qualifications in credit management.
Director and Head of Lending Operations
Stephen Murphy
Jennifer Xu has 11 years of experience in marketing and public relations, working for institutions in Australia and Hong Kong. She joined the Real Asset Management Group in 2014 and currently holds the position of director and head of marketing. Prior to that, she worked for Classic Magazine as an editor. Previously, she worked for Strategic Public Relations Group, Television Broadcasts (TVB) and Konami Digital Entertainment. Xu holds a Master degree in Social Science in Advertising and a Bachelor of Journalism and Communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Director and Head of Marketing
Jennifer Xu
Yvonne Ching has over 19 years of experience as an Australian tax compliance professional, specialising in SMSF Superannuation Fund audits and tax planning for SMEs and high-net-worth individuals. Prior to joining Brighten, she worked as a senior accountant at Holt Baker. There, she was responsible for all aspects of SMSF Superannuation Fund administration, audit and tax return preparation, as well as assisting clients in retirement planning, succession planning and estate management. Ching holds a Bachelor of Business Accounting from Victoria University. She is also a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA), a registered tax agent, a registered SMSF Superannuation Fund auditor and a Certified Xero Advisor.
Associate Director and Head of Client Services
Yvonne Ching
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
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Medal
Small business
Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Turnaround time – claims
BDM support
Broker communication, training and development
Overall service level
BDM support
BDM support
Medal
Overall service level
Broker communication, training and development
BDM support
Turnaround time – claims
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability
Small business
Medal
Overall service level
Broker communication, training and development
BDM support
Turnaround time – claims
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability
Small business
PAYG customers
self-employed individuals
investors
expats
non-residents
“Central to our approach is our Sydney-based team of experienced credit assessors, who offer a nuanced understanding of the financial profiles of these borrowers. Their expertise enables us to provide a more accurate and efficient loan assessment experience for our brokers and customers,” says Jason Azzopardi, CEO of Brighten. “Complementing our credit team is our highly knowledgeable sales team, recognised for their excellence and commitment to delivering superior services to our broker partners.”
The firm has two key differentiators that enable it to stand out against competitors:
superior products and services
rapid turnaround times (48-hour SLA)
Brighten’s standout innovation is its proprietary technology platform, Polaris, which enhances scalability, business efficiency and responsiveness to market changes to better serve their brokers and customers.
In addition to consolidating all data sources into a single user interface, which has cut loan assessment times by an estimated 40 minutes, Polaris has integrated five external systems – including aggregators, credit bureaus, identity verification, property valuations and servicing platforms – to streamline validations and eliminate the need for re-entering data. These enhancements have reduced the need for manual verification of missing or conflicting information, leading to an estimated 66% reduction in the time required to review applications.
The innovative mindset is so embedded within Brighten’s culture that continuous refinement and improvement is a fundamental calling card. Furthermore, the firm regularly taps into a feedback loop to determine what areas require further innovation.
“This strategic and feedback-informed approach enables us to continuously refine our products, streamline processes and improve the overall broker and customer experience in a rapidly evolving environment,” says Azzopardi.
An example of their prolific innovative process has been how Brighten responded to market dynamics and feedback by implementing over 15 policy enhancements to enhance serviceability and streamline paperwork by:
lowering the servicing buffer to 2%
introducing an alternative servicing option with a reduced buffer of 1% above the applicable rate for eligible refinance loans
simplifying income verification options for self-employed borrowers, such as accepting director wages
“A cornerstone of our strategy to become the non-bank lender of choice for brokers is our strong service proposition,” says Azzopardi. “We take pride in our ability to quickly adapt to both customer and broker feedback. Our responsiveness and market insight are essential in continuously improving our products and solidifying our position as a leading non-bank lender.”
Azzopardi says, “We place a strong emphasis on innovation and technology-driven solutions. Our end-to-end proprietary origination platform, Polaris, plays a key role in driving market-leading experiences for customers and brokers, positioning Brighten as the ‘non-bank lender of choice.’”
