SFG-affiliated brokers Dee Rutherford, Christian Arsenis and Bernard Desmond discuss how they have benefited from a career in the industry and how it can help others
There’s a reason Australia is called the lucky country. It enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world and has abundant natural resources, a strong economy and a thriving democracy.
Dee Rutherford and her brother Christian Arsenis, directors of Melbourne brokerage Evimero Finance, and Bernard Desmond, CEO of Melbourne brokerage Blank Financial, understand Australia’s good fortune.
Rutherford and Arsenis give 100% of their profits to charities each year. Desmond migrated to Australia from Dubai 10 years ago and set up a successful broker business and a new life for himself and his family.
MPA caught up with the brokers, who all aggregate with Specialist Finance Group.
Evimero Finance: sharing prosperity
Dee Rutherford and Christian Arsenis set up their brokerage in October 2019.
“We felt led to establish Evimero, and set it up a little differently with the aim of not only being profitable enough to pay ourselves a set wage but to also be able to give back to charities and not-for-profit organisations with 100% of the profits the business makes,” says Rutherford (pictured below).
Evimero means ‘prosper’ in Greek, and Rutherford says the brokerage wants “to encourage people to realise their potential to prosper in life”. Based in Warrandyte, the business employs a team of seven, which it expects to grow to 11 by the end of September – with four brokers and seven support staff.
Explaining the brokerage’s philanthropic approach, Rutherford says there is potential to earn a “truckload of money” in the finance industry if you’re good at what you do, and there’s the temptation to adjust your lifestyle to suit your ever-expanding bank balance.
“But what for? We want to be generous with what we have and not only help our customers to prosper but others where we can too.”
While Evimero Finance supports different charities each year, one is especially close to Rutherford’s heart. She and husband Dan set up the Kivuli Project in Kenya in 2010, when 40 orphans and vulnerable children were left displaced after their previous home closed.
“We felt called by God to sell our house and move to Kenya with our then one-year-old daughter to look after the children,” Rutherford says. “It initially started as a children’s home; however, it now supports children to live in family homes either by reconnecting them with their extended families or by connecting them into new families.”
The Kivuli Project focuses on the safety and welfare of children and families; counselling; COVID-19 relief measures; and family-strengthening initiatives.
Evimero Finance also supports Destiny Rescue, an Australian charity that rescues children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and works to reintegrate them back into their communities.
“These vulnerable, innocent children deserve their lives back,” says Rutherford. “The work of Destiny Rescue agents is extremely dangerous but vitally important.”
Rutherford says Evimero Finance doesn’t openly advertise to clients that it gives all its profits away.
“We are blessed with a successful business, and it fills our buckets to be able to bless others too. We want to challenge other successful business owners to be more generous with what they have. Just do something, give something to whatever cause may be close to your heart.”
So, how can the mortgage industry boost diversity and inclusion?
“Education and exposure,” says Arsenis (pictured below). “We know we are biased, but we think the mortgage industry is one the best, most rewarding service-oriented industries in Australia, helping people from all walks of life achieve financial freedom though home ownership or helping investors structure their loan portfolios to maximise their returns.
“We help people achieve their financial goals, and we get paid well for it. It’s a great feeling and an even better vocation.”
Arsenis says few people, especially those from a disadvantaged background, know what brokers do.
“We think we are moving in the right direction though, with the amount of people using brokers to find the right loan for them. But there’s not enough staff to manage the growing demand, and there’s a real opportunity for newcomers to learn, grow and forge a rewarding new career.
“We’d love to see the industry start working with refugee agencies, schools and universities, starting at the grassroots of education, offering traineeships and raising awareness of our wonderful industry,” says Arsenis. “We need newbies to cope with the growing demand, and it’s not happening fast enough.”
Blank Financial: a career highlight
Bernard Desmond (pictured below) was born in India to a middle-class family and moved to Dubai at the age of 22.
“I am the oldest of two kids,” he says. “Growing up, my parents provided us with a great foundation through family values and education. I saw how my dad operated his business; a lot of my early learnings have come from watching him operate his business while raising a young family.”
While he had a comfortable life, Desmond says he was curious and wanted to travel abroad. He landed a job in logistics in Dubai and then moved into banking in 2006.
He married Lavinia in 2008, whose parents lived in Melbourne, and the couple moved to Australia in 2012 for a better future.
Desmond says initially he suffered from culture shock and struggled to find a job in lending, but he was eventually employed as a Westpac personal banker and then worked as an ME Bank mobile lending manager.
While he says he knew on arrival in Australia that he wanted to be a broker, he also wanted to provide for his family before starting his own business. In 2017, Desmond decided the time was right.
“It’s been one of the greatest highlights of my career and life. This is a great industry that rewards and celebrates diversity, accepts people from all backgrounds and provides them with equal opportunity to succeed. This one decision has transformed our family’s life for good. We are so grateful.”
Desmond says the mortgage industry provides rewarding career pathways, and these need to be showcased to the next generation.
