Confidence an important element, award winner says
Confidence, flexibility and a focus on making the best of any situation have seen one BDM cement her success within the mortgage and finance industry.
Resimac business development manager Ashlene Prasad (pictured above) told NZ Adviser that as a female working in what has traditionally been viewed a male-dominated industry, confidence is a necessary part of the job.
“Confidence is a big part of being a BDM … knowing what you’re doing, walking into a room and understanding and reading the room is quite important,” Prasad said.
Prasad, who has been with Resimac for four years and looks after the upper North Island, was formerly a BDM for Liberty in Australia, and has also worked for Westpac and ANZ.
She was awarded Best BDM of the Year at the 2023 New Zealand Mortgage Awards in April and was also recognised in NZ Adviser’s Elite Women in 2022 and 2023.
Prasad was in the middle of completing a teaching degree at the former Auckland Teachers’ Training College when she decided to pursue a change of direction. She joined the National Bank, starting at the call centre, then joined various finance companies before making her way back to the bank when it became part of ANZ.
In addition to building and maintaining relationships with advisers and aggregators, Prasad is involved in coaching and training, attends industry events and she also mentors other women, providing a support network for like-minded peers.
For Prasad, meeting people is a highlight of being a BDM, as is seeing how she can make a difference to advisers, and to the end customers they represent.
“We’re constantly helping advisers and customers to reach their business and personal goals to grow their portfolio or buy a home,” she said.
“It’s about seeing the successes – sometimes you don’t always get the success stories but you learn from that … you’ve got to take it as a positive and roll with it.”
Reflecting on the 2023 New Zealand Mortgage Awards, Prasad said that being recognised, seeing her peers recognised for the work they did, and “being there for each other” were the highlights.
Since being awarded Best BDM of the Year, she has focused on taking past learnings and focusing on “doing better” for herself, for her family and for advisers, including helping advisers through the market downturn.
“For me, the biggest achievements personally and professionally would be being flexible, being vulnerable and being myself and doing the best that I can with every situation,” Prasad said.
Having worked for banks and non-banks in Australia and New Zealand, Prasad said that she was pleased to see non-bank offerings in New Zealand continue to grow.
Important that industry females support each other, BDM says
Rather than learn from a single mentor, Prasad said that her motivation to do better came from a range of people individually – peers, colleagues and managers.
As an advocate for increasing female representation and retention within the mortgage and finance industry, Prasad said that it was important for females to support each other and embrace their differences.
“I love it when there are new females that enter the industry, because it’s an opportunity for us to grow and learn from each other,” Prasad said.
Although listening to podcasts and following certain people on social media provides added context and information, Prasad said that it was the people she met in her daily life that served as the biggest source of inspiration.
“They’re the ones who provide you with the motivation and the drive just to do better every day and be your best self every day,” she said.
In response to what she would say to women considering a career in the industry, Prasad said it was important that they didn’t listen to the external noise and instead talk to those who have worked their way up.
“It’s a great industry to be part of … for advisers it provides flexibility, for a BDM it helps you get out of your comfort zone, particularly if you’re not used to meeting people face to face,” she said.
“We’ve definitely got to be encouraging more females and getting them on board.”
What value do BDMs provide to advisers? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
