Industry veterans Chris Slater and Peter Hagias have joined the advisory board of asset finance aggregator Optimise Aggregation.
Asset finance aggregation group Optimise Aggregation has announced new appointments to its inaugural advisory board, welcoming former AFG/Fintelligence executive Chris Slater and financial services lawyer Peter Hagias.
The advisory board has been recently established to bring together expertise in strategy, governance, compliance, and business growth as the two-year-old aggregation group increases in size.
Slater has more than two decades of experience in the Australian mortgage and finance industry, having held senior executive and C-suite leadership roles at organisations including AFG, Fintelligence, and – currently – at Recludo.
He has extensive experience in the broking and financial services space, including as a brokerage owner of Vision Finance Australia and an advisory board member for Zettle – a Galilee Solicitors Group company.
Speaking of his “excitement” to be appointed to the Optimise Aggregation advisory board, Slater said: “Their technology-driven strategy is making asset finance brokers stand up and take notice, and their growth in broker numbers is something I haven’t seen in a long time.
“I’d be very surprised if they aren’t the fastest-growing asset finance aggregator in Australia right now, so it’s going to be a lot of fun supporting the team as they scale and more business owners take a look at their platform.”
Similarly, Hagias – the founder of financial services lawyer Tecne Lawyers and AFSL House – has also joined the Optimise advisory board, bringing experience in a broad range of financial services businesses, fund managers, lenders, and fintechs on legal, compliance, governance, and risk matters.
He has expertise across AFSL and ACL compliance, AML/CTF requirements, corporate governance, and regulatory frameworks.
Hagias commented: “Strong governance and regulatory discipline are becoming increasingly important as financial services businesses continue to grow and evolve.
“Optimise Aggregation has built an impressive platform over many years, and I’m excited to support the board and leadership team as they continue to scale while maintaining the highest standards of compliance, risk management and customer outcomes.”
Bill Tsouvalas, founder and director of Optimise Aggregation, said the formation of the advisory board represented a “significant milestone” for the business as it enters its next phase of national growth.
“We’ve experienced incredible momentum over the past few years, and establishing an advisory board with leaders of this calibre is an important step in continuing to scale the business the right way,” he said.
“Our focus has always been on building a genuine market-leading platform for asset finance brokers. The response from the market has been incredibly strong, with brokers recognising the value of our technology, support, compliance framework, and ongoing innovation.
“We believe we have built something that is making a real impact in the market, and we are only just getting started.
“Having Chris Slater, and Peter Hagias supporting the business gives us an enormous amount of experience and guidance as we continue expanding nationally and investing heavily into our technology, governance and broker offering.”
The advisory board appointments come as Optimise broadens out its reach, with around 400 brokers believed to be aggregating under the asset finance aggregation group.
According to Tsouvalas, the growth of the aggregation group “reflects increasing demand from brokers seeking a more advanced, technology-driven aggregation platform, backed by experienced broker support, strong lender relationships, and scalable support infrastructure”.
It flagged its proprietary platform, AFOS, as being “central to the company’s rapid growth, providing brokers with a purpose-built system designed specifically for asset finance professionals”.
[Related: Who are Australia’s top asset finance brokers?]
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