A stint working in the South Australian Police Force as a 19-year-old gay man, demonstrated to Kerry Kalendra, the importance of creating an inclusive working environment.
So, when the opportunity came to establish his own broking business, MTA Mortgage Brokers, he actively set out to create an environment where everyone, regardless of their identity or culture could feel respected and supported.
He has a small but highly diverse team with cultural and age diversity, actively encourages celebrations of the different cultures in his team which include Indian, Greek, Ukrainian and Lithuanian and is actively involved in supporting his diverse local community in Prahran, Melbourne. His oldest employee is 71 and the youngest is in their early 20s.
“In 1987 things were very different– back then to be gay in the workplace you would be ostracized, you couldn’t even come out,” he said.
“I left the police force because I wanted to go and work for a company where I knew there would be no discrimination and from that I formed the view that when I formed a company myself that whoever worked for me, it doesn’t matter who they are or what they are or what religion or gender, no one would feel that they would be prejudiced or judged and that’s really important to me.”
Kerry has embedded inclusion into everything he does at MTA Mortgage Brokers, who were a finalist in the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the 2022 Mortgage and Finance Association National Excellence Awards.
Diversity and inclusion are entwined into the company’s values, team members are in roles that play to their diverse strengths and experiences and every person in the company is involved in decision-making.
“We are very equal opportunity employer,” Kerry said.
“We like to say we have a mixed salad here. We prefer to have different cultures and ages to work with in the business – that’s part of the reason why we are getting so much attention – everyone loves what we are doing and wants to be around us.”
Having diverse employees in the business has also helped expand the customer base of MTA Mortgage Brokers across a diverse range of different demographic groups including the LGBTIQA+ community, the Indian community and individuals who are self-employed.
And the thing Kerry loves the most about working in broking, is the opportunity to find diverse lending solutions for his diverse clients.
“I really enjoy being able to find a solution or fix a problem for the clients whose situations have got a lot tougher - that’s what I really love the most now about our industry,” he said.
However, having an openness to diversity and inclusion is not enough. Kerry says the only way to embed positive change in the culture of a business or an industry is the willingness to lead by example.
“I’ve really changed a lot myself to be honest,” he said.
“I have transitioned through a lot over the last 4-5 years, and I recognise now that if we are going to lead, we need to back it up with clear examples of what we are doing.”
He adds that listening is a key skill that all leaders need to develop to encourage an inclusive environment for everyone in their business.
“The one thing that I have learnt – it is important in those environments that you sit and listen first, and you don’t make any comment,” Kerry said.
“If there is a comment that you may not agree with or don’t think it is quite right, rather than respond back to it or dismiss it, you ask the person to elaborate why they might be thinking that way.
“By doing that, you are allowing them to contribute more and elaborate more and you are not putting that person down by saying I don’t agree with that. You sit back and you just listen.”
So, what advice would he give other small business owners on how to make their businesses more inclusive.
“Be open to coaching, be open to being coached, spend some money on yourself, you are not going to grow as a business or a human if you don’t spend money on yourself. You need to recognise that you might need help,” he said.
“You also have to take risks – there have been a couple of things we implemented, and they didn’t work – you can either dwell on it or just move on. You also have to be innovative and spend the time thinking about what you can do to innovate and change.”
In addition to the business benefits that greater diversity and inclusion unlock, Kerry says we also have to recognise that Australia is already one of the biggest multicultural societies in the world. Not accepting diversity and inclusion is therefore “un-Australian” and will make it harder for trust to be built across diverse communities.
He believes a lot of the ongoing barriers to greater diversity in the mortgage and finance industry are driven by an older generation who are “narrow minded” in their thinking.
“The only way those barriers are going to be lifted is over time and also through education,” Kerry added.
Embracing the diversity in the local communities they support is another way broking businesses can build their understanding of diversity and help break down the ongoing barriers that diverse individuals face in society.
“It would be great if everyone could be more involved in their local communities – getting to know their local communities,” he said.
“One of the things that we have done over the last 12 months is that we have got very involved in the community activity – we are not going to get a mortgage from these people, but it is a sense of building inclusiveness in our local community.”
And finally, what’s Kerry’s secret to success?
“It’s about sharing and giving,” he said.
“My coach taught me that if you start giving, giving, giving – you will start receiving. You are not giving to receive – you are just giving. That’s how you build success – it puts you in a different light.”
Champions of Diversity is brought to you by Teachers Mutual Bank Ltd.
