MortgageBrain

About MortgageBrain

When MortgageBrain’s long-time CEO Mark Lofthouse announced his plans to retire in 2020, chairman of the board Peter Hill turned to Drax to help find a successor. From the shortlist Drax presented, the board appointed chartered accountant and ex-Defaqto CEO Zahid Bilgrami to steer the business through its next chapter of market innovation and delivery.

The Result

Peter Hill, Chair at MortgageBrain, said: “Zahid brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the business as a well-respected CEO with a proven track record. No matter how great a business is, a new person always has a valuable and fresh perspective. Zahid has made suggestions at pace, taking colleagues along with him, and it’s been fantastic to watch. He’s landed really well. It’s a testament to the quality of the individual that Drax helped us find. We now have a strong leadership team that’s in a really great position to take advantage of the legacy that has been created.”

He added: “What really stood out to me during Drax’s engagement was their passion around profiling the executive team to ensure a good candidate fit. The team’s data driven methodology was valuable and they produced a really clear roadmap in terms of how they would approach the task. The milestones were met and the updates were delivered in line with expectations. Ultimately, it was a well-planned and well-executed assignment. When we got to the end of it, Mathew and I had a little chuckle, because we did all of this never having met each other.”

Zahid Bilgrami, CEO at MortgageBrain, said: “I’m delighted to be taking over the leadership role. The business is well placed to provide new innovative fintech solutions into the mortgage and adjacent markets. It’s a really exciting time for the firm.”