‘We just need to be prepared to fight the good fight each day as it comes’
MPA’s long-running BDM in the Spotlight series returns with Jordan Ridis, business development manager at customer-owned financial institution Beyond Bank.
With some 2,500 brokers in his portfolio, Ridis appreciates the virtue of being reactive or proactive, depending on what the scenario requires. He encourages brokers to bring grit, patience and persistence to a professional that can be particularly daunting.
This series is dedicated to shining a light on the best and brightest BDMs and relationship managers in Australia’s vibrant mortgage finance industry.
- Full name: Jordan Ridis
- Job title: Business development manager (Victoria and Tasmania)
- Company: Beyond Bank Australia
- Number of years in the industry: Eight
- Location: Melbourne
When and how did you join the finance industry?
I have been with Beyond Bank since December 2024, occupying the statewide BDM role for Victoria and Tasmania.
My career in banking started in 2018, having commenced a branch teller role straight out of university at Bank of Sydney. I spent just over six years at BOS with subsequent roles in branch lending, credit assessment, and then in the broker distribution team from 2021 and onwards.
Very soon after switching to a role in the broker-facing industry in 2021, like so many others, I knew I had found my long-term career path.
What does your current role involve?
As the state BDM for Vic and Tas, I hold a large portfolio covering seven aggregators and around 2,500 brokers. The main priority I have on a day-to-day basis is to balance the proactive and reactive aspects of this BDM role, with a particular emphasis placed on fast scenario responses (reactive), workshopping complex scenarios with credit (proactive), application advocacy where required (reactive), and relationship management through daily face-to-face and virtual meetings with our large broker network (proactive).
How do you assist brokers to grow their business?
I provide a hands-on approach to banking with brokers by providing real-time and relevant solutions for their increasingly complex loan scenarios. Along with my daily meetings and scenario workshops mentioned, I also run a fortnightly virtual public information session, which my entire portfolio of brokers are welcome to attend.
Practice really does make perfect, and I believe the more a broker interacts with any lender’s BDM and tests their policy/procedures/process, the better their relationship will be with that bank, and the better our collective skills and experiences will be with more and more practice.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The most satisfying part of a BDM’s job is definitely seeing the continued strengthening of relationships with our brokers and aggregators. With more activity and interactions, we witness ever improving and mutually beneficial outcomes for all of our stakeholders, whether that be for clients, the bank, and the broker.
What’s the most important advice you can offer to a new-to-industry broker?
Be prepared to get in the trenches and fire your rifle! This industry can be daunting when you first enter the space with common challenges being competition for market share, navigating the differing policies for 60-odd lenders on panel, as well as your own compliance requirements as a broker.
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Persistence and patience would be the key ingredients for success in the broker industry, and I would urge any new-to-industry broker to keep on moving forward everyday, whether that be sourcing new leads, managing existing pipeline, as well as building your relationship network with your clients and BDMs. There is a new battle to fight everyday; we just need to be prepared to fight the good fight each day as it comes.
How important is broker feedback in ensuring you provide the best service?
Feedback is a key indicator for both our successes and shortcomings as a bank. Obviously, our numbers and data speak loudest, although we find the one of the earliest pit-stops towards a success or failure will be in the feedback we receive. There is a clear correlation between our reactiveness to broker feedback and our own objects: the better we respond to that feedback, the better our performances.
What makes a great BDM or state manager?
Prioritising responsiveness, deep policy expertise, and proactive problem-solving. These three ingredients will ultimately be the taste test for brokers – a taste they never forget, be that a good experience, a great experience, or a terrible “never again” experience.
If there’s one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be?
Certainly, it would be the use of the concept of urgency. We need to always put into perspective what work items are genuinely urgent and the work items that are important. My motto with brokers is that if it is urgent, call me, if it is important email me.
My main message to brokers in this regard is that not all work items are urgent, but they are all important. It is up to you as the broker to decide how you utilise your resources – including your BDM relationship – to achieve the most effective outcomes.
Describe your ideal weekend:
It is always to spend time with our family and friends, as well as getting plenty of steps and sunlight.
