After having directed the bulk of its growth efforts at its franchise network in recent months, an aggregator has announced one of its managers will be stepping down from his role to become a franchisee.
John Chappelow stood as Mortgage Choice NSW franchise business manager for five years, from 2015, but will now vacate the position to operate his Mortgage Choice franchise in the Sydney CBD.
In August of this year, Mortgage Choice appointed a new head of franchise recruitment, Jerome Smith, who is responsible for growing the group’s franchise network – just one in a series of actions the group has executed recently to expand that area of the business.
According to Chappelow, phasing into a new chapter as a Mortgage Choice broker felt like a natural progression.
“Over the last five years, I have gained tremendous enjoyment from assisting brokers on their journey and helping them meet their goals. Now I am ready to back myself as a broker with the support of Mortgage Choice,” he said.
“It was certainly a big step, and I reviewed the options available through other aggregators. But I am extremely confident in the Mortgage Choice brand and the direction the company is taking.”
Chappelow named both the aggregator’s investment in technology as well as the community feel amongst Mortgage Choice brokers as significant factors in his decision.
Notably, Chappelow is not the first Mortgage Choice team member to have made the transition from group leadership to running a franchise. Tzuri Avila, former national franchise recruitment manager, resigned from his corporate position in April to become the franchise owner of Mortgage Choice Eastern Suburbs.
David Zammit, Mortgage Choice general manager of distribution, thanked Chappelow for his contribution to the company and welcomed him into his new role as franchise owner.
“The decision of not one – but two, of our head office team to invest in a Mortgage Choice franchise is testimony to the strength of our offering,” Zammit said.
“We are delighted to welcome John to our Australia-wide network of over 400 franchise business owners, and we look forward to supporting his new journey as a broker.”
