From a simple idea… to a national legacy, a new milestone for LA.
Fifteen years ago, there was no national brand. No network of offices. No team of 120+ people. Just a belief that things could be done differently.
But the story doesn’t begin with an office or a business plan. It begins with a perspective, one shaped by understanding people, reading situations, and recognising what truly drives decisions.
Before Lending Association existed, Bill Constantinidis was building something far more important than a résumé. He was learning how people think, what motivates them and how to create meaningful connection. Those lessons would become the foundation of a business built on relationships, trust, and long-term partnerships.
His professional path evolved into the structured world of banking, inside the National Australia Bank. There, discipline, systems and financial acumen were strengthened. But even then, it was never just about transactions. It was about people. Their stories, their ambitions, their risks and their future.
Somewhere between the spreadsheets and the conversations… a bigger idea began to form.
What if finance felt different?
More human. More connected. More aligned with real lives and real businesses.
So in 2011, he backed himself. No big offices. No large team.
Just a small space above a car dealership… and a vision.
That was the beginning of Lending Association.
The success that followed didn’t happen overnight. It was built steadily, one conversation at a time. Clients became advocates. A team formed, growing in both capability and belief. Service by service, step by step, the business expanded across residential, commercial, asset finance, insurance, wealth, agriculture and medical finance.
Always anchored to one core mission: To help people move forward financially.
And guess what? It worked because when trust compounds, so does growth.
From the very beginning, Lending Association has never been defined by numbers alone. The real story has always been about the people behind them.
The brokers who backed themselves and built meaningful careers.
The clients who placed their trust in the process and in doing so, created new opportunities for their businesses and families. The partnerships formed in the early years that have endured the test of time and built on respect, shared success, and genuine connection.
That is what defines Lending Association because this was never a business built for people it was built with them.
Side by side, through every deal, every challenge and every win.
Fifteen years on, the scale has changed dramatically.
What began in a small upstairs office has grown into a national business, an award-winning, recognised and respected name in the Australian lending landscape. The footprint is larger. The team is stronger. The impact is far-reaching.
However, at its core, the DNA remains exactly the same.
Still relationship-first.
Still driven by people.
Still grounded in trust, earned over time.
And now, a new chapter begins, because every great story evolves.
What Bill built over fifteen years has become something powerful: A platform. A culture. A legacy, and with that legacy comes the opportunity for the next phase of growth.
Growth requires perspective. Not a shift away from what the business stands for, but a refinement of it. A fresh lens, new energy, and a continued commitment to doing things differently, even as the organisation scales.
Which is where the next chapter begins.
Enter CEO, Steve Bourne.
A leader stepping into a business with strong foundations, clear values, and a proven track record. He is not here to reinvent it, but to elevate it.
Steve brings a focus on evolution, not disruption. An understanding that real progress comes from respecting what exists, while having the clarity and confidence to expand what’s possible.
His role is not to change the story, but to continue writing it.
o honour the foundation built over the past fifteen years.
To lift the vision as the business enters its next phase.
To expand what’s possible across people, partnerships, and performance, without ever losing sight of what made Lending Association what it is today.
This moment isn’t a handover. It’s a continuation.
As the business grows, evolves, and steps confidently into its next era, the essence remains unchanged, only strengthened.
The heart of it remains the same.
People first. Always.
Fifteen years of Lending Association.
Built on belief. Driven by people. Defined by impact.
And now… the next chapter begins.
What to see the journey? – you can see it here