We recently announced a 70% year on year volume growth in loans through our broker channel following a re-structure that has seen a tripling of our broker sales team.
We’re now delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Robbie Fidler to the role of National Broker Channel Manager. The appointment reflects our continued expansion into the broker channel as part of our mission to help brokers grow their business and make commercial finance more accessible to Australian SMEs.
Robbie brings to OnDeck commercial lending experience spanning over 12 years. As a small business owner himself, he has firsthand knowledge of the financing needs of SMEs, and the challenges they can face securing commercial finance through traditional banks.
Our Head of Sales, Michael Burke, said, “Robbie understands the importance of building mutually beneficial relationships with brokers, which is well aligned to OnDeck’s focus on the longevity of broker relationships. As a small business owner himself, Robbie is able to bring value to the conversations he has with brokers around SME lending.” Mr Fidler is a non-executive director of cloud-based motor dealer fleet pricing aggregator portal, FleetCloud.
“OnDeck recognises the value of the broker channel, and Robbie’s appointment is part of our strategy of investing in quality people who can support brokers’ plans to grow their business by expanding into SME lending,” added Michael.
Enhancing broker education
Robbie says, “I am really excited about joining the OnDeck team and working with our growing team of brokers. I understand that cash flow lending is an area many brokers are unfamiliar with, especially coming from a mortgage broking background.
“This is why I see a large part of my role involving broker education, acting as a coach or mentor to help brokers find opportunities within their existing databases”.
Robbie believes his personal experience as a small business owner has given him unique insights into the needs of Australian SMEs.
“Understanding the best product for a business, and the return on investment of a particular loan is critical – and it involves taking a transactional view of the business rather than just focusing on the interest rate.
“A toy shop for example may need an extra $25,000 worth of stock coming into Christmas but they may not have the cash flow to support that purchase upfront. Yet having this stock could deliver an additional $15,000 of gross profit to the business,” he said.
Robbie will manage our recently expanded broker sales team as we move into their next phase of growth in the broker channel. “I understand best practise within the operating model of a cash flow lender, and I have had direct involvement in high growth businesses, either in an owner capacity, or an employee capacity. I am eager to be part of OnDeck’s next phase of growth and to help Australian brokers expand their business into SME lending,” said Robbie.
Robbie was previously Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Fleet at one of the world’s first vehicle subscription businesses for on-demand ride share drivers, and had stints at Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Ferrari Maserati Sydney.
