Peter White appointed chairman of aggregation board

His remit will include advising Optimise’s leadership on its expanding broker network, technology development, and market presence.

Founder and director Bill Tsouvalas said White’s experience representing the industry made him a valuable addition to the business.

“Peter has spent decades representing brokers and helping shape the finance broking industry in Australia, so having someone with his experience chair our Advisory Board is incredibly valuable to us,” Tsouvalas said.

“Optimise has grown rapidly, but we are very conscious that as the business becomes larger, we need to continue strengthening the foundations around it. That means having the right governance, the right people around the table and, importantly, people who understand brokers and the industry we operate in.”

He also singled out White’s understanding of brokers as particularly relevant to Optimise’s ambitions for its network.

“Peter brings an enormous amount of industry knowledge, relationships and experience, but what I particularly value is his understanding of the broker. We are building Optimise around helping brokers build better and more valuable businesses, and Peter has spent much of his career advocating for exactly that part of the industry,” he said.

Tsouvalas said the board’s collective experience would support the company’s next growth phase.

“We have significant ambitions for Optimise over the coming years, and having Peter as Chairman alongside Chris Slater and Peter Hagias gives us an Advisory Board with a tremendous amount of experience to help guide that next stage,” Tsouvalas said.

Beyond lender access

White said he had followed Optimise’s development and welcomed the opportunity to contribute.

“I’ve watched what Bill and the team at Optimise have been building and there is a great deal of energy and ambition within the business,” White said.

He added that changing broker expectations were broadening the role aggregators needed to play.

“The aggregation market continues to evolve, and brokers increasingly expect more from their aggregator than simply access to lenders. Technology, business support, compliance, education and the ability to help brokers grow sustainable businesses are all becoming increasingly important,” White said.

“Optimise has made significant investment across these areas and has built strong momentum in the asset finance market. I’m looking forward to working with Bill, the leadership team and my fellow Advisory Board members as the business enters its next stage of growth.”

Building the broker offering

Optimise was established as the aggregation arm of Savvy, the retail finance brokerage Tsouvalas launched in 2010.

Its network comprises about 400 brokers, with around 40 asset finance lender accreditations.

Its proprietary AFOS platform combines lender comparison and servicing tools with compliance, workflow automation, customer and referral functions, and business management.

Tsouvalas said continued investment in technology and broker support would prioritise the offering within the network, rather than recruitment alone.

“We don’t see growth as simply adding more brokers. The objective is to keep improving what we can deliver to each broker within the network,” he said.

He further described White’s appointment as part of a broader effort to develop the business’s capabilities.

“We want Optimise to be a business that continues to challenge what an asset finance aggregator should provide. Peter joining us as Chairman is another important step in building the experience and structure around the business to support that ambition,” Tsouvalas said.

The appointment follows White’s February announcement that he would resign as FBAA managing director after 23 years with the broker association.

[Related: Chris Slater, Peter Hagias join aggregation advisory board]