Australian FinTech

Published by Australian Fintech on 01 August 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment management software, has announced the promotion of Nadine Freitag to Head of People and Culture.

The announcement was made at BGL REGTECH, Sydney on 1 August 2023. BGL REGTECH is BGL’s annual event that this year is focused on helping its clients Retain, Educate and Grow. Recently, Freitag was appointed to the BGL Executive Team.

“I am so proud of Nadine and excited to see her take on this new role,” said Daniel Tramontana, BGL’s Chief Executive Officer. “Nadine’s passion for fostering a supportive work environment and dedication to our team’s well-being aligns perfectly with BGL’s core values. I have no doubt Nadine will play a pivotal role in leading BGL into the future.”

Since joining BGL in 2021 as People and Culture Manager, Freitag has been instrumental in implementing various initiatives to advance career development, mental health and well-being at BGL. “Nadine’s efforts over the past 2 years have significantly strengthened our exceptional workplace culture. With her can-do attitude and unwavering commitment to BGL’s betterment,

Nadine represents everything that makes us great,” continued Tramontana. Freitag’s qualifications include a Diploma in Human Resources Management and qualifications in Strategic HR Planning from the Australian Institute of Management. She is also a Certified Strengths Profile Practitioner and Mental Health First Aider, who is dedicated to fostering a positive and supportive work environment.

“I’m excited to be given this opportunity and very much looking forward to embarking on this next chapter of my BGL journey,” said Freitag. “Ron and Daniel’s belief in my abilities and support has been the driving force behind this achievement, along with my awesome team, who have been my biggest supporters over the past 2 years. Comfort zones are a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there and I’m always keen for a challenge, so here goes!”

Published by Australian Fintech on 28 July 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment management software, has announced the promotion of Warren Renden to General Manager – CAS 360, Ecosystem and Brand.

The appointment comes 2 weeks after BGL introduced a seven-person Executive Team, which includes Renden.

“It has been a pleasure to watch Warren grow and thrive with us both personally and professionally since he joined BGL in 2007,” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “His journey has been one of growth and exceptional dedication, and I could not be prouder to see him take on this new role.”

A highly experienced Product Manager, Renden has a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting, Finance and Financial Planning from Deakin University and qualifications in Applied Project Management from the Australian Institute of Management.

Renden has been a member of the ASIC Business Advisory Committee and the ATO Digital Service Providers Strategic Working Group and is currently a member of the DSPANZ Government Digital Services Committee.

During his 16 years at BGL, Renden has had a number of roles, including Support Consultant, Product Trainer, CAS Desktop Product Manager and Head of CAS 360.

“As General Manager – CAS 360, Ecosystem and Brand, I will wear many hats, overseeing BGL’s CAS 360 product, Ecosystem platform, Partnerships, Marketing and Events teams as well as being part of the BGL Executive Team,” said Renden. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to exciting times ahead.”

Daniel Tramontana, Chief Executive Officer at BGL, said, “Warren’s work has touched thousands of BGL users. He is passionate and determined in every sense and is regarded as one of the industry greats. I’m very excited about the opportunities that await Warren and BGL.”

Published by Australian Fintech on 13 July 2023
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BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment management software, has announced the appointment of an Executive Team of exceptional talent to drive strategic growth and innovation.

“I’m so proud of each member of the BGL Executive Team,” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “Comprised of seven individuals with a combined total of 123 years of service at BGL, these leaders bring extensive experience and unwavering dedication to driving BGL’s strategic growth and innovation. Our products, clients and team could not be in better hands.”

The purpose of the BGL Executive Team is to deliver on the strategic and operational requirements of BGL. With a strong emphasis on growth and development, their goal is to retain, educate and grow our people, clients, partners and the industries in which we work. By maintaining core values and a commitment to exceptional products and experiences, the team aims to achieve sustained growth across all facets of the business.

Introducing the members of the BGL Executive Team:

Ashley Avileli – Chief Technology Officer

Admired and respected for his can-do approach and profound IT knowledge, Ashley and his team keep our BGL cloud software running every day of the year.

Adriana Cavallo – Head of Customer Experience (APAC)

Widely admired within the industry, Adriana is a focused and committed individual who is customer-obsessed and instrumental in delivering remarkable experiences to BGL clients.

Nadine Freitag – People and Culture Manager

With an extraordinary commitment to the betterment of BGL, Nadine is instrumental in developing BGL’s team while strengthening the company’s exceptional workplace culture.

Ron Lesh – Founder and Managing Director

Having started BGL in 1989, Ron’s commitment to building great products together with great people, teams and culture has been the key to BGL’s success.

Warren Renden – Head of CAS 360

With a relentless focus on product, team and client experience, Warren exceeds client expectations and advocates for BGL and its clients across multiple external boards.

Jeevan Tokhi – Head of Simple Fund 360

Respected in the industry for his profound impact, knowledge and professionalism, Jeevan is a strategic thinker with an incredible ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for BGL and its clients.

Daniel Tramontana – Chief Executive Officer

With a great passion for leadership and dedication to the BGL team, clients and community, Daniel has been instrumental in the growth and success of BGL.

Daniel Tramontana, Chief Executive Officer at BGL, said, “As we venture into the next season of BGL, we are super excited about the opportunities ahead. We will continue to build great products. We will deliver exceptional client experiences and moments. And we will do this with the highest level of gratitude and respect for the countless clients (some across 4 decades) who continue to support us with an unwavering belief that inspires us to be the best version of ourselves.”

Published by Australian Fintech on 03 July 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions, Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment management software, has announced the release of the 2023 SMSF Annual Tax Return in its SMSF administration software solution, Simple Fund 360.

“I am continually impressed with our Simple Fund 360 team,” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “Since 1 January 2023, they have delivered 6 significant updates, including support for the 2023 SMSF Annual Return 6 weeks before the end of the financial year and even SBR electronic lodgment before 30 June 2023.”

Released on 18 May 2023, the Simple Fund 360 tax time update supports the 2023 SMSF Annual Tax Return, complete with all the required supporting schedules and electronic lodgment to the ATO from 1 July 2023. SBR electronic lodgment has also been switched on following ATO system updates. Support for newly registered funds and funds winding up for the 2023 Annual Return is also supported.

BGL’s free open API was also updated, allowing clients to seamlessly send the 2023 SMSF Annual Tax Return from Simple Fund 360 to Xero Tax and LodgeiT for lodgment.

On 15 June 2023, BGL released Part 2 of its tax time update, which includes support for the 2023 Trust and Company Income Tax Returns in its accounting, investment, and tax software, Simple Invest 360. SBR electronic lodgment is also available.

Jeevan Tokhi, Head of Simple Fund 360 at BGL, said, “Over the past 12 months, our product teams have released new client-driven features and enhancements every 3-4 weeks with innovative technologies like BGL SmartDocs, which uses artificial intelligence to extract data from PDF documents. When you add it all together, it’s easy to see why our compliance solutions are miles ahead of the competition.”

Published by Australian Fintech on 29 May 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions, Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment portfolio management software, has been recognised as Victorian State Winner of the 2023 Australian Achiever Award with a sensational score of 98.80% for customer satisfaction.

The award included special recognition of Ron Lesh, Daniel Tramontana, Adriana Cavallo, Damien Gunatillake, Luca Ranellone and Peter Di Stefano for their remarkable customer service.

“This is a fantastic achievement and recognition of the BGL Team. I am incredibly proud!” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “This is the 18th Australian Achiever Award won by BGL and proves again and again our commitment to providing remarkable experiences and sensational customer service to our clients.”

Australian Achiever Awards are an independent award system based on assessments from the business customers. The award system focuses on eight criteria: Time-related Service, Addressing Client Needs, Care and Attention, Value, Attitude, Communication, Overall Perception and Referral. The judging process for 2023’s Australian Achiever Awards for Australia’s Information & Communications Technology Services category was completed on 5 May 2023.

“I am very proud that BGL achieved an impressive customer satisfaction score of 98.80% as well as being named the Victorian State Winner” added Lesh. “As a business, our goal is to provide exceptional service that distinguishes us from others and excites our clients and to be acknowledged for our efforts, most importantly by our clients, is truly wonderful.”

“Congratulations must go to the entire BGL Team on this well-deserved recognition and it was great to see Daniel, Adriana, Damien, Luca, and Peter mentioned in the award presentation. A huge thanks also to all our clients and partners for your continued support. We would not win these awards without all of you!” added Lesh.

The recognition was accompanied by glowing testimonials from our clients, exemplifying BGL’s remarkable customer service.

“The BGL Corporate Solutions team are super friendly and helpful. There is nothing that is too much trouble for them. They are happy to answer any of my questions, even if the answers are obvious. The dealings I have with them feel more like a personal relationship rather than us being a customer. They are the best business that I deal with. I describe Ron, Daniel, Adriana & Damien as my fabulous four.”

“BGL Corporate Solutions are easy to deal with. They understand our needs and what we are looking for. Their program that we use is user-friendly. And they are always happy to help us.”

“They offer us day-to-day support. My business development manager handles my queries. I can call Peter directly; we have open lines of communication. He is efficient in following up and calls back straight away. They are constantly working on their software development and making sure we use the software to optimal effect. And they are always finding solutions for us.

When they come to Sydney, they touch base with us in person. I enjoy their automated customer service, as they reply within twenty-four hours.”

Published by Australian Fintech on 22 May 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment portfolio management software, have announced the launch of its integration with loan comparison service provider, Compare n Save.

“We are excited to add Compare n Save to the BGL Ecosystem,” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “This integration will provide BGL’s Simple Fund 360 and Simple Invest 360 clients with a hassle-free and simple loan comparison solution that will add value to their customer service offering.”

Compare n Save is a fintech platform with an ownership stake in TAG Finance and Loans, a traditional mortgage broking fulfilment business. “We are extremely proud of the BGL partnership. It is a glowing endorsement of our fintech and fulfilment capabilities and further strengthens our relationship with BGL,” said Sal Cinque, Director of Compare n Save and CEO of TAG Finance and Loans.

Brad Wilkinson, Head of Ecosystem at BGL, said, “The BGL and Compare n Save integration will help advisors, accountants, and other BGL clients compare hundreds of loans from more than 30 of Australia’s top banks and other lenders for home, investment and SMSFs. It will also help clients easily structure debt for property purchases and conduct regular loan reviews to lower interest costs for their clients. Loans are fulfilled via an experienced broker network with access to over 500 brokers nationally.”

BGL clients can access the Compare n Save app within their Simple Fund 360 and Simple Invest 360 Property Console screen or via the BGL Ecosystem.

BGL’s free and open API is used extensively across the industry. Over 350 data feed and integration partners in the BGL Ecosystem deliver a holistic experience to our clients.

Published by Australian Fintech on 03 May 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), the world’s leading provider of compliance management solutions, is celebrating the 1st anniversary of its company secretarial software solution, CAS 360 Singapore.

The milestone comes just a week after BGL surpassed 800,000 companies managed by its CAS 360 software across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

“I’m incredibly proud of the BGL Team and what they have achieved over the past 12 months,” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. The success of CAS 360 Singapore is a testament to their hard work and dedication. I also want to thank our clients for providing valuable feedback and helping drive the development of CAS 360 Singapore, which today supports over 120 firms, managing over 14,000 companies. A truly fantastic achievement by all.”

Launched in late April 2022, CAS 360 Singapore is a complete company secretarial software solution and a huge time-saver for accounting firms and corporate service providers. With its powerful automation, CAS 360 provides workflows for managing common changes for companies and Annual Returns, saving clients time and increasing their productivity.

In addition, CAS 360 was Singapore’s first cloud-based company secretarial software to integrate with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)’s Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to provide seamless electronic Annual Return and updates of share information filing.

Warren Renden, Head of CAS 360 at BGL, said, “The CAS 360 Team has delivered well beyond our greatest expectations, releasing an impressive 8 software updates in just 12 months, adding a range of new features including automated document reminders, support for foreign branch companies, Singapore company name change documents, a dedicated AML / CDD compliance workflow and much more. However, these features are just the tip of the iceberg. CAS 360 boasts an extensive feature set that continues to grow with new, client-focused features and enhancements now released every 2 weeks.”

“The future is bright indeed for CAS 360. We have big plans, including the official release of CAS 360 Hong Kong (currently in beta), the start of work on CAS 360 United Kingdom and further development in Australia and New Zealand. Certainly, watch this space!” concluded Lesh.

Published by Australian Fintech on 01 May 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment portfolio management software, have been ranked in the inaugural ‘Australia’s Best Workplaces in Technology List 2023’ by Great Place to Work® Australia.

The recognition comes just a few months after BGL announced its Great Place to Work® recertification for the 2022-2023 year.

“This is another incredible accomplishment by the BGL Team,” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “To be listed alongside large businesses like Cisco, Salesforce and Atlassian is a great achievement. I’m extremely proud of our leaders and People and Culture Team, who work tirelessly to create and foster a workplace culture where everyone is valued and respected.”

94% of employees at BGL Corporate Solutions said it is a great place to work compared to 56% of employees at typical Australian businesses.

Daniel Tramontana, Chief Executive Officer at BGL, said, “We have said it before and will say it again. Software is at the core of what we do. But clients stay with BGL because of our people, community and culture. They engage with us because of who we are, what we stand for and the memorable moments we deliver. Our people are our greatest point of differentiation. So, we will continue to invest in, prioritise and implement initiatives to support our teams’ career development, mental health and well-being.”

Nadine Freitag, People and Culture Manager at BGL, said, “Choosing to become a certified Great Place to Work® is a no-brainer for us. We recognise that our people drive our greatest asset and strive to create a positive work environment fostering collaboration, growth and innovation. Being certified strengthens our employer brand by demonstrating our commitment to providing a workplace where employees feel supported.”

“We sincerely thank all our people and leaders who continuously support our teams and clients and believe in our wonderful products,” continued Freitag. “This award helps showcase our commitment to maintaining our supportive and positive culture and will motivate us to continue improving and growing as a business.”

Great Place To Work®, the global authority on workplace culture, revealed the best-of-the-best in the technology industry when it comes to people-first, purpose-driven employee culture. The companies were shortlisted using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback.

In recent years, BGL was recognised on the Great Place To Work® Best Workplaces for Women List and the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work List as the 6th best technology workplace in Australia and New Zealand. BGL also became an accredited Mental Health First Aid Skilled Workplace with the help of Joel Clapham, Founder and Chief Mental Health Champ at Hearten Up, BGL has supported 36 staff to become accredited Mental Health First Aiders.

Published by Australian Fintech on 05 April 2023
Click here to read on the Australian Fintech website

BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), Australia’s leading provider of company compliance, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and investment portfolio management software, has announced its multi-award-winning SMSF administration software, Simple Fund 360, now integrates with the Fintech platform, accountantsGPS, to provide its clients with a new digital SMSF Check-Up Report.

“We are thrilled to add Melbourne-based Fintech, accountantsGPS, to the BGL Ecosystem,” said BGL’s Managing Director Ron Lesh. “This integration allows Simple Fund 360 clients to produce a new SMSF Check-Up Report using accountantsGPS’ proprietary technology – a first for the SMSF market and available exclusively to BGL clients.”

“The digital SMSF Check-Up Report provides a comprehensive analysis of a fund’s complianceand financial situation to evaluate how a fund is progressing in many key areas,” continued Lesh. “The report includes SMSF documentation, investment performance, investment policy development, contribution strategies, investment property performance (including debt position), insurance and estate planning. The report will help Simple Fund 360 clients to determine whether the Trustees and Members of a fund will meet their compliance obligations as well as their longer-term investment and retirement goals.”

George Haramis, CEO and Co-Founder of the Fiduciary Group and accountantsGPS, said, “As one of Australia’s leading digital providers of personal financial advice, we are absolutely thrilled to have progressed our digital technology capabilities to develop the SMSF Check-Up Report. It is particularly exciting for our business to partner exclusively with BGL and offer this unique and valuable service to their accounting clients. Accountants can now undertake a comprehensive analysis of their clients’ SMSF across a number of key areas adding additional value to Trustees and Members and eliminating the time, cost and angst of trying to create a report manually, if achievable at all. It is a long-awaited development for the SMSF sector that has finally arrived.”

Jeevan Tokhi, Head of  Simple Fund 360 at BGL, said, “The integration allows BGL clients to log in to the accountantsGPS platform using their Simple Fund 360 credentials. Clients can then authorise Simple Fund 360 to pass information relating to all or a select number of their SMSFs to the accountantsGPS platform. BGL’s API will pre-fill 95+% of the information required to complete the SMSF Check-Up Report, making this a simple streamlined process that takes just a few minutes per fund. Importantly, it means clients can provide the report for their SMSFs without requiring an Australian Financial Services (AFS) licence.”

BGL’s free and open API is used extensively across the industry. Over 350 data feed and integration partners in the BGL Ecosystem deliver a holistic experience to our clients.