FMT has expanded its Auckland lending team with the appointment of Barend Nienaber as Business Development Manager, and the promotion of Adam Richardson to Associate Business Development Manager.

The expanded team gives advisers access to additional support, credit expertise and practical help to engage early and keep deals moving.

The appointments reflect FMT’s commitment to being an accessible lending partner with a personal approach that advisers can rely on. Advisers deal directly with experienced, local people who take the time to understand each scenario and what their clients want to achieve.

Barend brings a strong background in sales, customer relationships and commercial lending, with a focus on practical conversations about clients’ funding needs.

 “I’m looking forward to working closely with advisers, understanding their businesses and the challenges they’re navigating. I want to be someone they can pick up the phone to talk through a scenario with and rely on to help find the right funding solution for their clients. Building strong relationships and making it easy to do business with FMT will be a big focus for me,” says Barend.

Adam’s promotion reflects FMT’s commitment to developing talent from within. His experience as a Loans Analyst gives him a strong understanding of credit analysis, deal assessment and structuring.,

Sue Griffiths, National Strategic Partnership Manager at FMT, says the appointments give advisers greater access to the right expertise and support early in the process.

“For advisers, this means more people on the ground to discuss scenarios and help keep deals moving. We now have five BDMs in Auckland and 11 nationally. Larger and/or more complex deals are managed by Cam McLachlan and Anneka Herdson, who specialise in development funding. We want to be more than a lender – we want to be a partner advisers can pick up the phone to, with personal support and close collaboration.”

With specialist lending continuing to grow, FMT is investing in its team and continuing to improve its offering, so advisers have the support they need to help their clients. Its business development managers are backed by experienced lending, administration and analyst teams, from the initial conversation through to settlement. Barend and Adam will work alongside Jono Singh, who is well known across the lending industry in the Auckland market.

Barend and Adam will work alongside Jono Singh, who is well known across the lending industry in the Auckland market.