Two outstanding brokers, Christian Stevens and Chris Bates, have joined forces to launch Flint, a brand new complete monetary providers brokerage.

With a long time of collective expertise and greater than $3 billion in settled loans, they purpose to disrupt the mortgage market by providing a wider vary of economic merchandise and a tech-driven method.

Talking to Australian Dealer concerning the motive for the transfer, Stevens (pictured above left) mentioned the power to scale provided Flint alternatives that will not have been attainable individually.

“What excites us is to be a part of the brand new period of tremendous impartial, tech-driven brokerages that may present a secure residence for brokers to develop exponentially and settle numbers not seen as attainable till latest years,” Stevens mentioned.

“Whereas we might have helped 1000’s of purchasers every as people over time, we now need to, as a collective, assist 10,000-plus Australian households make nice property and finance choices it doesn’t matter what stage of life they’re at, the situation they reside or the wealth they’ve.”

Flint: Experience at each step

Whereas Stevens and Bates (pictured above proper) could also be steering the ship, there are numerous fingers onboard to make sure clean crusing from day one.

Flint has launched with a workforce of fifty, that includes 19 founding brokers and a plan to double the headcount within the subsequent 12 months.

And a big workforce is required, given the brokerage has key employees working a number of divisions, together with UHNW/household workplace, digital/tech, actual property, recommendation (monetary planners and accountants), international revenue (expats), skilled traders, SMSF, medico, authorized, first residence purchaser, and building.

The brokerage additionally boasts a devoted assist workforce of 30, making certain a radical expertise for purchasers.

This contains customer support, credit score evaluation, back-office assist, and post-settlement help. Moreover, all senior credit score employees are licensed accountants, offering purchasers with knowledgeable strategic steering.

“We’re in conversations to shut some vital brokers and assist employees. All the workforce can be up and working by July 1 for FY25,” mentioned Bates. “The most effective brokerages are a group of people all striving and supporting one another to be the most effective they are often and reside the lives they want for.”

“Our providing is growth-focused, values-driven and talent-first. All of us need to make the pie greater to share quite than a smaller pie for a number of.”

Constructing a trusted model

The workforce at Flint has formidable plans to turn into Australia’s main and most trusted monetary providers supplier. Their three key priorities for the subsequent 18 months are:

1. Investing in know-how: Automating processes, bettering buyer expertise, and prioritising knowledge safety.
   
    
2. Increasing area of interest choices: Constructing experience in numerous monetary sectors and creating focused methods for every.
   
    
3. Constructing model consciousness: Attracting purchasers, brokers, and referral companions by way of efficient branding initiatives.

Each Stevens and Bates have intensive expertise in constructing profitable manufacturers inside the mortgage business.

Bates has been persistently recognised as a high dealer, that includes in MPA‘s Prime 100 Brokers checklist since 2020 and securing the sixth place final 12 months.

They attribute their success to their “secret sauce”:

• An advice-driven method to mortgages
• Shopper-first schooling
• Taking part in the lengthy recreation by constructing a enterprise that draws high expertise

“We’ve grown from scratch to turn into Australia’s main particular person brokers and we’re passing down every little thing that bought us right here, scaling our assist workforce and collective data to develop a workforce throughout many new niches,” Bates mentioned.

Meet the Flint workforce

Flint boasts a workforce of skilled professionals with various experience throughout numerous monetary sectors. This is a better take a look at some key members:

• Alex Pagonis – senior dealer and head of digital. Pagonis has eight-plus years of expertise at KPGM in creating buyer, product, and digital methods to drive progress for flint.
  
   
• Adam Mastrosa – senior dealer and head of actual property. Mastrosa brings 15 years of expertise in govt gross sales and accounting, alongside along with his personal intensive property portfolio, to boost flint’s actual property choices.
  
   
• Craig Bigelow – head of recommendation partnerships. Bigelow has 20 years of expertise working a monetary planning follow to construct strategic partnerships with high monetary advisors.
  
   
• Salvador Huetos – a senior dealer and head of UHNW/household workplace. Previous to becoming a member of Flint, Huetos was a personal banker for 14 years and has spent the final three years working at a big brokerage working the wealth division. He can even lead the personal banking division.
  
   
• Alicia Van Der Pluym – head of buyer expertise. Stevens mentioned Van Der Pluym leads a workforce specializing in onboarding purchasers, offering sustainable, personalised ongoing service, and fixed consumer expertise innovation.
  
   
• Ben Sum – COO, shareholder, and director. Bates mentioned Ben Sum’s position was to make sure the assist and strategists’ workforce of over 30 – from begin to end – was working the most effective it may.
  
   
• Jon Sum – head of recommendation, director, and shareholder. Leads the technique workforce.
  
   
• Ariane Rose – head credit score analyst. “Ariane was my first worker and has remained by my aspect since then, constructing a workforce beneath her,” mentioned Stevens.
  
   
• Tisha Pradham – head of technique assist. Leads the abroad workforce.

“We even have a number of main consultants working in vital roles throughout advertising and marketing, know-how, cybersecurity, HR, management, and partnerships, which we’re investing in so as to add worth to our supply,” Stevens mentioned.