meet Aris – our invoice finance champion

Aris Lockhart is an important member of the thornmoney team but you won’t often find him at the office… he’s too busy meeting clients in person so he can follow his personal mission to help people grow their business.

Here’s a little bit about Aris in his own words…

I’ve been at thornmoney for two years

I joined because thornmoney was about to launch invoice finance to the market, and I believed the model they were offering actually made sense. Because of this, I wanted to see how much I could help the company grow; I was excited to be part of its story. 

The old way of doing invoice finance does help companies but there are aspects of it that are not attractive to clients. We have a much more flexible solution that allows clients to walk away if it’s not working for them, which I love to be able to share with brokers and business owners.

Business Development is another word for sales…

But for me, it’s not about just selling and moving on to the next client.

Firstly, I have to have a complete understanding of what thornmoney is capable of so I know I am doing the right thing for everyone. Not every client is a match for us but by working closely with the rest of the thornmoney team I am able to figure that out as quickly as possible so nobody feels as though they have wasted time.

I also truly enjoy the relationship-building aspect of my job and finding out how I can facilitate success for the clients we work with. It makes my role so much more rewarding.

If I were to share my advice about working in the finance industry…

It would always be to treat clients like people and remember that they have a business to run, which is a huge responsibility.

As a Business Development Manager in the world of lending, it’s your responsibility to exhaust every angle and find ways to make things happen. However, with that being said, being upfront is also important, so you don’t waste people’s time.

I have been in the industry myself for 20 years. I think I have stayed because I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know so many people. One thing I have figured out is how to dress for different clients… don’t show up to a mining site in a full suit and tie unless you don’t mind ending up being covered in dust!

Outside of work, I’m a family man

I have two children and we also spend a lot of time in the car listening to music while we head to activities and sports practice.

When I’m driving solo I tend to do so with a podcast playing; I like to learn about people’s experiences and perspectives on current topics.