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People Industry legend Bowell farewelled
Eric Bowell
Industry stalwart and former QBE LMI senior manager Eric Bowell was farewelled at his funeral in
February. Bowell passed away in Sydney following a battle with cancer. His funeral was held at Northridge Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Thornleigh. Bowell, an Associate MFAA member, is survived by his wife Katy and four children Gareth, Rhys, Jeremy and Gabrielle. Oxygen Home Loans general manager James Green remembered Bowell as “an industry legend” and credited him with helping to drive non-bank competition throughout the 1990s, as well as helping to guide the transition of PMI to QBE LMI. “Heaps of people will be saddened by this,” Green said.
Vale Eric Bowell, a true gentleman and stalwart of the mortgage industry. Justin Delanty on 23 Feb 2012 10:31 AM Eric was a true gentleman and a great guy. I was sorry to read this sad news. Farewell Eric. Judy Micallef on 23 Feb 2012 11:06 AM A true gentleman. Few and far between in our industry. Vale Eric. Will
miss your wisdom. Craig N on 23 Feb 2012 07:40 PM I first met Eric when I was GM of AMIC and he was with Allied Mortgage and Investment in NZ. I recruited Eric as manager of AMIC NZ and after I retired from CUAMIC Richard Nott brought Eric to Australia. Eric was a very fine man and a pleasure to work with. A very sad loss. Alan Skidmore on 27 Feb 2012 03:25 PM
MFAA chief executive Phil Naylor also hailed Bowell’s legacy, saying the association was deeply saddened by his passing. “He was a very supportive and active player within the mortgage industry as a whole and the MFAA. He had been on the
MFAA NSW and ACT council for a number of years, and he was one of those people I would describe as a quiet achiever. He didn’t make a lot of noise, but he made a lot of sense, and that’s the kind of person who’s a valuable asset to any organisation,” Naylor said.
Wisbey shifts to aid Ballast expansion
LoanKit to recruit ‘best in the west’
Mortgage Ezy head of sales and marketing Chris Wisbey has been snatched up by boutique aggregator Ballast. Wisbey, appointed to his Mortgage Ezy role in 2009, will take on a new sales position with Ballast. Mortgage Ezy said the company had a “longstanding, excellent working relationship” with Ballast, and claimed Wisbey’s appointment to the aggregator will “further strengthen these ties”. Mortgage Ezy chief executive Garry Driscoll praised Wisbey’s contribution to the company, but vowed that Wisbey’s departure would not negatively impact brokers. “He will be missed; however, we have built our business so that our brokers have multiple contacts within the company so that at any time
LoanKit is seeking to boost WA recruitment via the appointment of new state manager Barry Harrison. The aggregator, which saw 20% national growth in broker numbers in the six months to December 2011, said it had added former PLAN state manager Barry Harrison to recruit the ‘best in the west’. A former broker with experience in institutional sales and management roles, Harrison has been charged with leveraging “robust industry contacts” and providing a permanent WA recruitment presence. LoanKit CEO Simon Dehne said brokers would benefit from Harrison’s ‘wealth of knowledge’ and would propel growth in the state. “Barry has the industry
experienced account managers are always available as well as executives from myself down who are always available to assist and get involved.” Driscoll indicated that Wisbey’s replacement will be announced soon. Meanwhile, Ballast general manager Frank Paratore said Wisbey would help the boutique aggregator expand its presence on the East Coast. “I’ve known Chris personally and professionally for some time and he is someone that has built an excellent reputation in the industry. He has a track record and commitment to the broker community that we believe will bring to reality our vision of real collaborative commerce; something that ultimately we both very much see eye to eye on,” he said.
experience and contacts that will prove lucrative to our expansion plans in Western Australia.” Harrison’s role Barry Harrison will include assisting the existing WA broker network with industry knowledge, resources and coaching that will help them drive business growth. Harrison said he will relish the new position, and would strive to help LoanKit become a “major player”. “I strongly believe in the proposition of this business – providing tailored solutions to established broker groups who are not satisfied by a one-sizefits-all philosophy,” he said.
Bibby launches in Western Sydney Bibby Financial Services has appointed Richard Markowski as a regional sales manager to support increasing demand for debtor finance from businesses in the Greater Western Sydney region. Markowski is based in Parramatta. Managing Director Greg Charlwood said the appointment was an important step in the company’s growth strategy and would enable it to better service local businesses. “Greater Western Sydney is a
very important Australian industrial region and we see excellent potential for us to support these businesses, particularly manufacturers, importer/wholesalers and business service providers,” Charlwood said. “Richard is a qualified debtor finance professional who brings with him over 25 years of experience in the debtor finance industry. With a focus on cash flow and capital raising solutions, he will be a tremendous addition to
the Bibby team.” Markowski said SMEs are often not well serviced by the banks, who tend to focus their efforts on the corporate sector. “This often leaves SMEs with limited professional service or advice. SMEs cannot grow without strong cash flow and capital,” he said. Markowski added banks may be set to further cut their lending to SMEs. “Following the recent spate of announcements regarding mass retrenchments of banking staff, it is my belief the banks will further
Greg Charlwood
reduce their lending to the SME market in the coming years.”