The Broker Who Built a Financial Ecosystem: Nick Reilly, Inovayt Group

For our client partner Inovayt, gaining access to high-quality talent and ensuring data security were key factors in their decision to partner with ASW Global. Nick Reilly, CEO and Founder of Inovayt, recounts the challenges and apprehensions they faced, and shares valuable advice for fellow business leaders on integrating international staff support. Here are some highlights from the interview. Watch the full video after the article.

Q: Can you tell us about Inovayt, the history of the business, and your role within the company?

Nick Reilly: Inovayt started in 2007 as a mortgage broking business and expanded into financial planning in 2012. Initially focused on risk insurance, we have since developed a full financial planning offering. Today, we have around 40 staff primarily in Victoria and Queensland, offering financial planning, residential and commercial lending, and asset and equipment finance.

Q: What were the challenges Inovayt faced before building your international team?

Nick Reilly: The primary challenge was compliance, and the increased workload required to get a client from A-Z. The Royal Commission and other regulatory changes significantly increased our workload, making it difficult to maintain profitability with the rising headcount. We needed a solution to manage the back-end work efficiently, which led us to explore offshore staffing.

Q: What apprehensions did you have before going down the path of international talent partnering?

Nick Reilly: The biggest apprehension was around safety, security, and data protection. We needed to ensure that the offshore team could handle sensitive client information securely. Visiting the offices and understanding the infrastructure and security measures in place helped alleviate these concerns. Managing productivity and language barriers were initial concerns, but these were addressed through proper planning and integration.

Discussing financial wellbeing at Woodards Real Estate 2025 Conference

Q: What roles did you start with?

Nick Reilly: We started with administrative roles to handle tasks like insurance follow-ups and maintaining client relationships. This allowed our advisors to focus on client-facing activities. Over time, we also included roles that support compliance and annual reviews, ensuring our advisors are only involved in the delivery of services.

Q: What was it about the ASW model that appealed to Inovayt?

Nick Reilly: The one thing that keeps me up at night is data security and something going wrong with our clients. What sort of checks are being done on the staff? Where are they working out of? What are the security measures in place? Coming over and visiting the offices—for me, it wasn’t just about the office. Yes, it’s nice and it looks like they have a good time here, it’s a really good environment. But it was more about, all right, this is a legitimate operation. So, what they’re telling me in terms of checks and balances and security measures—I’m comfortable with that, just based on the infrastructure ASW has.

Q: How do you manage the relationship and integration between your local and international teams?

Nick Reilly: We treat our international team the same as our local team, with regular meetings, daily huddles, and constant communication. We have managers on the ground in our offshore locations who drive our values and culture. Our local team champions the project, ensuring everyone is on board and understands the strategic goals.

Q: What impact has the international staff had on your local team and productivity?

Nick Reilly: The international team has allowed our local team to focus on higher-value tasks and client-facing activities. This has made roles like Client Service Manager more attractive and increased productivity. Our advisors can handle more clients, leading to higher revenue and better client outcomes.

Syaida is one of Inovayt’s international staff members from ASW Malaysia.

Q: How do you ensure quality outcomes for your clients?

Nick Reilly: We have systems in place to track workflow and deadlines. Our offshore team handles all the preparation work for client reviews and compliance, delivering complete packs to advisors. This ensures quick turnaround times and high-quality service. We also invest in training and development for our offshore team, ensuring they can handle complex tasks and maintain high standards.

Q: What advice would you give to business leaders considering international staff support?

Nick Reilly: Have a clear strategy and plan, and be willing to commit time to training and integrating your international team. Document your training processes and ensure your offshore team understands your culture and values. Treat them as an integral part of your business and provide them with career growth opportunities.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO FOR MORE INSIGHTS.