MEDIA RELEASE
Wizard’s strength in numbers
Tuesday, 25 November 2003: The last 12 months has seen Wizard Home Loans double its presence in New Zealand and the
number one non-bank lender in Australia and New Zealand has no plans to stop there.
Wizard launched its first branch in Auckland three years ago. It now has 18 branches across the country, at least
another six are planned to open in the next six months.
Wizard Home Loans has also doubled the amount of business written during the past 12 months, attributing the growth to
its rapid branch expansion program.
Head of Wizard New Zealand John Grant says that the opportunities for business growth are abundant and it’s now a matter
of finding the right people to help drive the business growth.
“Over the next year, our key challenge will be identifying the right people to support our pace of growth,” he said.
“We increasingly find that people from the banking sector are attracted to the innovation of the non-bank sector and
we’re encouraging them take advantage of the opportunities available.”
“Wizard’s branches are all owner-operated and require strong financial skills, a proven record in the loan business,
local knowledge and entrepreneurship because working on commission and having a stake in your own business is part of
the deal,” Grant said.
John Lloyd is a good example of Wizard’s success with recruiting people from the banking sector.
Before joining Wizard John had a long career in the corporate financial sector. He opened his first Wizard branch in
Takapuna in March 2000 and his second in Orewa earlier this year. He is also about to open a branch in Brown’s Bay and
is looking for additional premises in Birkenhead.
For two year’s running, John has taken Wizard New Zealand’s Salesman of the Year and Branch of the Year.
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