Capify appoints first partnerships manager for Vic/SA

Mr Donaldson, who started his new role on 7 January and is based in Melbourne, will be working alongside fellow senior manager for strategic partnerships Ahmed Khan to foster strong broker partnerships in the southern states.

According to the SME lender, while Mr Donaldson will particularly focus on Vic and SA and Mr Ahmed on NSW, the two senior managers for strategic partnerships will “take a shared approach” to managing and building relationships in the other states and territories.

Speaking to The Adviser, Mr Khan commented: “Chad and I worked together at Westpac and when it came to hiring someone to manage the relationships that we’ve built through The Adviser events over the past few years, I knew that Chad could really add value to those relationships and be able to dive into them a lot deeper. He lives in Victoria permanently and he has the right attitude and the willingness to take on the responsibility of that region for us.

“So, for me, it was a no-brainer. I knew his capability and his willingness to grow as a professional and also take on the industry in Melbourne and SA,” he said.

“As soon as our managing director, John de Bree, and director of [marketing and] strategic partners, Sam Tajvidi, met with Chad, they echoed the same response as well, saying he was a perfect fit for the business.

“When it came to that decision, it was a no-brainer for the business to have him on board with us,” Mr Khan said. 

Mr Khan concluded: “Using the combined knowledge base that Chad and I have, and by providing brokers with the tools and education to look at scenarios outside of the norm, we aim to give brokers the confidence to look into – and succeed in – unsecured business lending.”

Mr Donaldson said he was “excited” to have joined Capify and to start the new year in the new role, adding: “What I’m looking to do is help grow the broker and partnership channel within Capify exponentially. 

“We are hoping to grow the broker partnerships channel by 100 per cent by the end of the financial year 2019. This is a key industry for us.” 

Mr Donaldson added that he believed that the unsecured business lending sector was “probably the fastest growing avenue within lending across SME businesses”, particularly given the current credit environment. 

“It’s an industry that I want to be a part of and the stars have aligned here,” he said.  

[Related: New pricing tool for SME loans launched]