Brighten recognised as Inclusive Employer for the third consecutive time

Publication Date: Monday, 17 November 2025

Brighten has been recognised as a Certified Inclusive Employer by Diversity Council Australia (DCA) for the third consecutive time, reflecting a workplace culture shaped by diversity and gender equity.

The accolade follows its parent RAM Group’s participation in the Inclusive Employer Index, an in-depth workplace survey every two years that measures diversity and inclusion experiences against national benchmarks.

RAM Group CEO Scott Kelly said, “We’re proud of maintaining our Inclusive Employer accreditation. But the real measure of success is that our people feel they can contribute, grow and build long-term careers here.”

The survey revealed that RAM employees come from 17 different cultural backgrounds, with women comprising over half (50.7%) the workforce – ahead of the national average of 48.0% – and the majority (71.4%) of middle managers.

Brighten CEO Jason Azzopardi said, “We’ve come a long way in the four years since we were first named as an Inclusive Employer. As a full service non-bank lender, Brighten has now grown its loan book to over $4bn and has completed 8 public RMBS transactions, raising over $4.3bn from some of Australia’s largest banks and top-tier financial institutions.

“As we’ve grown, we’ve tried to stay true to the values of the organisation, and to recognise that people are our greatest asset.”

Outperforming the benchmark

To be recognised by DCA as an Inclusive Employer, organisations must exceed the National Index Benchmark in at least five out of six key areas. This year, Brighten significantly outperformed in several categories.

• 88% of employees say they work in inclusive teams, compared with the national workforce benchmark of 56%.
• 60% feel their immediate manager values diversity and inclusion, compared with 35% of the Australian workforce.
• And 85% say the organisational climate is inclusive, compared with 59% of the Australian workforce as a whole.

As well as being an Inclusive Employer, Brighten is also a member of the Women in Banking & Finance and Pride in Diversity programs, as well as being a certified Family Inclusive Workplace.