This Adelaide Bank BDM has worked with complex lending for most of her career
BDM in the spotlight asks a different BDM the same questions – giving you regular insights into the lives of some of the top BDMs in the country.
Name: Ava Aso
Years in the industry: 10
Company: Adelaide Bank
Location: Sydney
What did you do before entering the industry?
I’ve been in the finance industry ever since I graduated from MQ university. The initial years of my career I worked as a financial planner within private banking in Sweden, and then moved to Australia (again) in 2013. Financial planning gave me a good understanding of the finance and banking industry in Australia, which led me to moving into private banking in Sydney. Working with complex lending most of my career has made me love my role as a BDM in the third-party space, as my background and experience allows me to add value to the deals presented to Adelaide Bank by brokers.
How often do you see mortgage brokers in a week?
If possible, EVERY DAY! One of many things I enjoy about my role is the people aspect of it.
The past months have been slower in terms of meeting in person, however I’ve been lucky to have been catching up with six to 10 brokers over Zoom per week, but generally I try to have at least two to three meetings, four days a week.
What do mortgage brokers want most from you?
My top three wants are:
1. Having their back and coming back to them in a timely manner
2. Supporting them from initial submission to settlement
3. Being competitive with other lenders
What is your favourite part of the job?
Being creative and thinking outside the box, whilst ensuring we comply with the current legislation and ensuring my brokers get a premium outcome on all their submissions. Also, giving out merchandise. My brokers love our blue pens and post-it notes!
What distinguishes the best brokers you deal with?
What separates the leading brokers is their passion for their clients and the industry, their boldness, attitude to question things when needed, motivation and hunger for the best deals for their clients – whether the deal is for a first home buyer or an investment portfolio empire. All whilst staying humble.
What’s your ideal weekend?
I love my beachy lifestyle, keeping fit and active – especially on the weekends. An ideal weekend for me involves an early morning walk (coffee in hand) down to the beach with my partner and our two cavoodles. A quick dip in the fresh ocean and walk along the beach back home for breakfast. I have a great passion for food and traveling. On weekends I like to be out as much as possible (except when it’s raining, because no one likes frizzy hair) and trying new places for breakfast or dinners.
What’s the strangest lending scenario you’ve ever encountered?
I’ve worked in private banking so nothing surprises me anymore.
What's your top time-saving tip and how much time does it save you?
Early mornings to plan and reflect on the coming days before the emails and phone calls start to come in, having email templates with different scenarios, keeping the link to credit policy on every device you own as a favourite, as you reflect back on this multiple times a day. A good routine can save you hours in a day.
What’s your favourite meal?
Everything Italian, Greek, and Lebanese! Wine, pasta, olives, tzatziki, grilled seafood in Santorini, you name it!
