Headquarters:

North Sydney, NSW

Year founded:

2006

Number of employees:

210

Phone:

(02) 9145 9524

Email:

rgubbay@thinktank.net.au

Website:

thinktank.au

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/thinktank-commercial-property-finance

Jonathan Street

Chief Executive Officer

Belinda Wright

General Manager, Partnerships and Distribution

Nathan McMullen

General Manager, Credit Risk

Leadership

Jonathan Street has more than 35 years of experience in the finance industry across Australia and the UK, including roles with National Australia Bank, Rothschild Asset Management, Cargill Financial Markets and Accenture. As one of Thinktank’s founders, Street has played a central role in the development and evolution of the business since its inception. He remains closely involved in shaping strategic direction in collaboration with the company’s key internal and external stakeholders.

Chief Executive Officer

Jonathan Street

Belinda Wright brings over 20 years of experience across banking and financial services, with expertise in residential sales, credit and end-to-end home loan processing. She has a strong focus on the third-party broker channel and has built her career around enhancing broker engagement and lending performance. Wright’s career spans roles at Westpac Group, ANZ and RAMS, where she built her expertise in lending and third-party distribution.

General Manager, Partnerships and Distribution

Belinda Wright

Nathan McMullen has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, leading teams across credit risk, product, digital, and strategy. His career spans both local and international roles with organisations including Westpac, ING, RAMS, GE, and AMP. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

General Manager, Credit Risk

Nathan McMullen

Cullen Hughes

Chief Financial Officer

Cullen Hughes has over 25 years of experience in financial services, with a strong focus on securitisation and capital markets. He has worked across major institutions including CBA, Citibank, Societe Generale, and Zurich Capital Markets, and gained regulatory experience at ASIC in the Investment Bank Division. Hughes has played a key role in facilitating debt capital markets financing for a broad range of asset classes including residential mortgages, commercial property, equipment leases, consumer loans and auto loans.

Chief Financial Officer

Cullen Hughes

Charmaine van der Merwe

Chief Information Officer

Charmaine van der Merwe is an accomplished IT executive with decades of experience across the financial services and technology sectors. She is recognised for leading digital transformation and innovation, with a strong focus on aligning IT initiatives to strategic business goals. Charmaine has a proven ability to lead high-performing, cross-functional teams, mentor talent, and manage complex, enterprise-wide technology projects. She also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Australian Institute of Management.

Chief Information Officer

Charmaine van der Merwe

Andrew Brown

Chief Operations Officer

Ben Cook

Head of Risk and Compliance

Michelle Anderson

General Manager, People and Culture

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Andrew Brown has over 15 years of leadership experience in operational and risk-focused roles, with expertise in operational excellence, credit risk, technology, and process improvement. He holds an MBA, Graduate Diploma in Management, Advanced Diploma of Banking Services Management, and multiple other qualifications including a Diploma in Financial Planning (RG146) and certification as an Agile SCRUM Master.

Chief Operations Officer

Andrew Brown

Ben Cook brings more than 20 years of experience in risk management and compliance within the banking and financial services industry. He has worked across major institutions including CBA, Westpac and Macquarie, developing a deep understanding of regulatory frameworks and industry standards. Ben has a strong track record in building high-performing teams and implementing risk mitigation strategies that balance compliance with commercial outcomes.

Head of Risk and Compliance

Ben Cook

Michelle Anderson has over 20 years of HR leadership experience in the financial services sector. She specialises in building high-performance cultures, leadership development, and employee engagement. She has led strategies across talent acquisition, health and safety, employee relations, succession planning, diversity, and compliance. She also has extensive experience managing M&As and organisational restructures.

General Manager, People and Culture

Michelle Anderson

Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager. As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

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THINKTANK PROPERTY FINANCE

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Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims

Product Manager

Claire Watson

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

“We are committed to building a workplace where all voices are heard, respected and empowered”

Graeme Holme, Infinity Group Coaching Australia

“We don’t just provide services; we partner with clients for long-term success. This commitment extends internally, too. We invest in staff development and nurture leadership at every level”

Graeme Holme, Infinity Group Coaching Australia

Thinktank Property Finance has built its culture around three core values: Do What’s Right, Work as One and People First. That framework influences how decisions are made, how teams collaborate and how the company supports its people. Integrity, accountability and care are part of daily operations. This approach earned Thinktank a place on MPA’s Top Mortgage Employers 2025 list. It reflects strong performance and recognises how the company has grown by investing in its people and building the kind of culture that employees thrive in. “We believe doing the right thing while also demonstrating integrity and accountability are central to the way we work,” says Jonathan Street, chief executive officer. “It helps to create a strong sense of trust across our business and forms the foundation of our relationships with our partners.” The organisation has scaled while keeping its identity strong. Collaboration is front and centre, and there is no separation between customer experience and internal culture. Brokers and clients benefit from cross-functional coordination across credit, distribution, operations and support. Teams are given the trust and tools to deliver, with performance expectations made clear and achievable. Leadership has shaped that environment through consistency and direction. Street and the executive team focus on long-term sustainability. That is evident in hiring decisions, system upgrades, product development and internal initiatives. “We have actively nurtured a strong, people-driven performance culture that balances commercial outcomes with long-term sustainability,” adds Street. “As a result, Thinktank has not only grown in size and scale, but in reputation by earning the trust of brokers, aggregators, institutional investors and employees alike.” Development is personalised and structured. Every employee has a development plan built around their goals and mapped to the core competencies of their role. Managers work directly with their teams to support that process. The company also offers a study assistance program to support external learning, professional certifications and formal education. Feedback is gathered through engagement surveys, and the results drive action. “By combining personalised planning, competency mapping, ongoing feedback and supported training, we create an environment where our people feel empowered to develop their skills and advance their careers,” says Michelle Anderson, general manager – people and culture. Compensation is benchmarked against industry data from the Financial Institutions Remuneration Group. Incentives are tied to performance, and recognition is embedded in how the business operates. Leaders use survey data to identify specific areas for improvement. That insight dictates the focus for communication, recognition and career development planning across teams. Thinktank’s approach to diversity is making a difference. Women make up 49 percent of the total workforce. Over half of the organisation’s broker-facing sales and relationship leadership roles are held by women. Internal surveys show 96 percent of staff believe the company values diversity, with 94 percent reporting they feel respected at work. “These results affirm that our approach is working, but we continue to seek to improve by listening to our employees, reviewing our policies and practices, and embedding inclusive behaviours across every level of the organisation,” Anderson says. The company’s recent initiatives include leadership development programs and external partnerships to support more female brokers moving into commercial and SMSF lending. These efforts are grounded in mentorship, training and active sponsorship. Thinktank is also building its data and analytics capability to better understand engagement, support well-being and track the impact of internal programs. The goal is to remove barriers, not automate decisions. The organisation describes it as a move towards a “technology-empathetic” workplace that gives people more time to focus on high-value work.

IQumulate invests in education and people, which are vital to attracting new business and talent to the company. “We have long tenures for several of our key staff, including some in leadership positions, and this sound working knowledge of our business, practices and industry provides great insights and a wealth of experience to offer our clients,” says Bastow. “Our new head of sales, Graeme Gordon, formerly manager for New Zealand, joins us in Australia to drive our sales strategy and lead our team to successful outcomes for our clients and our business. We look forward to great things ahead with Graeme as he continues to be active and present in the New Zealand market as well as building sound working relationships and new connections in Australia.” Clients can also expect a lot from working with IQumulate. “Through active engagement with our trusted broker network, IQumulate provides relevant information, education and training content,” says Graeme Gordon, head of sales. “Our clients can expect IQumulate to support their business in several ways, providing an understanding of what premium funding solutions are available and how IQumulate can spread the cost of insurance and help borrowers get the right level of insurance cover to free up their cash flow for other expenses or business growth opportunities. Premium funding is often considered a tool for those who simply cannot afford to pay their premiums in full. While this is certainly a significant driver for many, it is also successfully used by profitable companies who use premium funding to manage their cash flows more wisely or better manage their liquidity.”

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