Elite Woman 2024 is the driving force behind attracting more female brokers to the commercial and SMSF space
This article is sponsored by Thinktank
A passion for building new business, fostering collaboration and cultivating strong relationships with third-party partners has driven Belinda Wright’s outstanding success and earned her recognition as one of MPA’s Elite Women of 2024.
As the head of partnerships and distribution at Thinktank, Wright leverages over 20 years of banking and finance experience to enhance team performance to power revenue growth and strengthen partnerships with aggregators and brokers. Under her leadership, Thinktank’s team has grown significantly, with 49% of the workforce being women and over 50% of the sales leadership and broker-facing teams also women.
“We believe a diverse and inclusive environment creates a more vibrant industry for brokers, aggregators, lenders and customers,” says Wright. “At Thinktank, we work exclusively with mortgage brokers, which drives us to support their diversification journey and innovate with new products to enable them to deliver the best client outcomes.
“One of my key goals is to continue to help more female brokers diversify into commercial and SMSF lending. As Australians increasingly seek comprehensive financial solutions, it is essential for brokers to diversify to stay competitive, boost income and seize new opportunities.”
Even as organisations like the MFAA and industry leaders work to address the challenges women face, unconscious bias remains in mortgage broking. Wright acknowledges the ongoing challenge of retention, underscored by industry research showing that only 26.9% of mortgage brokers are women.
“Fewer female role models and mentors are available to attract, guide and support other women on their journey within the broking industry,” she says.
Drawing from her experience, Wright identifies several key strategies for female mortgage brokers to achieve success:
- offering diverse solutions
- building relationships within their local community
- seeking mentorship and coaching
- investing in ongoing education
- participating in industry events and connecting with lender BDMs
“We have witnessed the rise of some excellent female business coaches and mentors within our industry,” says Wright. “Women starting in mortgage broking can boost their careers by finding these mentors and investing in continuous education.”
Launched in 2006 by a cohort of experts in property finance, business lending and consumer finance, Thinktank addressed the unmet need for simple, set-and-forget commercial lending solutions. That industry insight led to Thinktank’s initial product offerings. By 2013, the product suite had expanded to include SMSF lending, and in 2018, it added residential loan options targeted at the self-employed.
“We have deep commercial experience and demonstrable expertise around empowering brokers to successfully diversify into commercial and SMSF lending,” says Wright.
Thinktank is advancing its offerings with several new measures:
- Commercial loans: Full Doc and SMSF products up to $8 million, Mid Doc Loans up to $6 million, and Lease Doc with standalone servicing and a two-year arm’s length remaining lease term
- Private lending: Private and Residual Stock Loans up to $7 million with terms ranging from three months to three years, no minimum ICR, no LMI, and full commission.
- Broker support: Relationship managers provide support and industry insights from workshops to settlement.
“We recognise that educating and upskilling mortgage brokers is crucial for the broker’s business, our business and the industry as a whole; this is why broker education is woven into the fabric of how we do business,” says Wright.
