Brighten strengthens leadership amid rapid growth

Publication Date: Saturday, 14 September 2024
This article originally appeared in Australian Broker.

Three key executives promoted and appointed

Non-bank lender Brighten has made three strategic leadership appointments to support its continued growth and operational excellence.

Katrina Topalovic joins as commercial lending manager, Julie Stanceski has been promoted to head of lending operations, and Annorah Hannon (pictured above, from left to right) has been promoted to head of servicing operations.

A 105% rise in applications fuels expansion

Brighten’s growth over the past year has been remarkable, with a 105% increase in applications year-on-year.

The company’s CEO, Jason Azzopardi (pictured above, far right), stressed the importance of diversity and inclusion in driving innovation and success.

“Creating a safe and inclusive space for innovation and growth is my priority,” Azzopardi said, noting the company’s commitment to culture and leadership.

Brighten’s commitment to diversity and female leadership

As Brighten continues to scale, diversity remains a core focus.

More than 60% of the company’s workforce identifies as female, with 57.1% of leadership roles held by women.

This aligns with industry best practices and reflects Brighten’s investment in nurturing future female leaders. The company has been recognised by the Diversity Council Australia as an Inclusive Employer for the past two years.

Leadership appointments bolster operations

Stanceski brings more than 20 years of residential lending expertise to her new role as head of lending operations.

In her new role as head of servicing operations, Hannon will be leveraging her decade of experience in business process improvement and relationship management.

Topalovic, with 16 years of finance experience, joins as commercial lending manager following her tenure at Thinktank, St George, and NAB.

“We are entering an exciting growth phase and will continue investing in our people and systems to enhance the broker and customer experience,” Azzopardi said.

These latest appointments follow that of Scott Chandler as Brighten’s new senior BDM for Perth, Western Australia, and Nicole Woodruff as BDM for Victoria.