After decades of writing huge volumes and amassing commercial broking accolades, Simplicity Loans & Advisory's co-founder has other goals in mind
The last six months of 2024 were quiet for Simplicity Loans & Advisory’s co-founder and managing director Jean-Pierre Gortan.
By his count, he barely scratched $50 million in commercial loans between July and December. That is a curiously low amount for a man who regularly appears in MPA’s Top Commercial Brokers list (2025 is no different in this regard).
“Historically, there’s been a pretty big reliance on me to settle a large portion of the business,” Gortan said. He has typically contributed up to 50% of Simplicity’s volume in previous years, so what's changed?
Far from having a duff year, Gortan has become more of a leader than ever. He has taken a step back from writing his usual volumes as he evolves into more of a mentor to the new guard climbing the Simplicity ranks. It speaks to the high regard he has for the younger generation that JP is increasingly entrusting the baby he co-founded in 2017 to them.
“It's about creating space for the next generation to step up, bringing fresh energy and perspectives to the business,” he said in an interview after once again making MPA’s Top Commercial Brokers list. “I want to help them become the next guns of the industry – leaders who drive results and redefine what's possible.
“My focus is now on leadership, business development and helping our team grow into their potential.”
There is certainly no shortage of talent for Gortan to mentor. He rattles off the team members’ strengths with ease, name-dropping Joshua (“sharp, process-driven and fast becoming one of the most trusted names in the business lending space”); Isabella (“exceptional with complex transactions, particularly in the property and development space. Great instincts and deep understanding of structuring”); Anthony, Izzy, Josh, David, Danny, James… the list goes on.
“The bench is deep, and the hunger is real,” Gortan said. “These guys are the future – each brings a unique strength that elevates the collective. And it's not just the senior team. Our associates like Joshua Hanshaw, Kye and Harrison are already showing real promise.
“You can see glimpses of greatness in all of them, and it’s exciting to watch them grow.”
Caption: From L to R: David Pruscino, associate director sales; Isabella Constantinou, senior sales director; JP; Matt Johnson, joint MD and co-founder; Joyce Xu, associate director sales; Danny, associate director sales
They will certainly need to tap into this greatness to fill the void Gortan is leaving. He is hoping to build each broker up to achieving a couple of hundred million dollars each annually.
Through his evolution into a commercial broking mentor, Gortan has discovered that there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the waves these up-and-comers make in the industry as they lead on bigger deals and earn client trust. It’s a legacy-building exercise, according to JP. “Helping others succeed means the business succeeds long after you’ve stepped back.”
Shifting gears
Any major career inflection point like the one Gortan is facing is bound to be bittersweet. Thankfully, he looks back on his achievements with pride.
“I’ve hit many of my career milestones, and the business is in a strong place,” he said. “We’ve built an amazing team, and it’s time to give them the room to lead.”
Although writing deals has been incredibly satisfying for Gortan, he conceded that “after 20 years, it does take its toll”.
“The last 12 to 24 months have been possibly the most difficult of my career,” he said. “Combining that with trying to jointly run one of Australia’s largest brokerages made it clear it was time to shift gears. I want to focus on the broader picture – strategy, national expansion and scaling our systems and partnerships.”
Discussing the biggest achievements of his career, Gortan highlighted hitting $1billion in settlements as a major milestone. But there is far more to be proud of than just numbers.
Gortan spoke of building Simplicity from a small team to one of the most respected commercial brokerages in the country, while raising tens of thousands for causes like the Women’s Resilience Centre and the CEO Sleepout.
Mostly, though, he is “proud of the team and culture we’ve built – resilient, values-driven and high-performing”.
“I’ll always love the art of the deal, but I’ve found even more fulfilment in helping others do it at scale,” he said. Besides, he still intends to be involved in complex or legacy client transactions, “but the day-to-day is no longer where I’m needed most”.
Expansion plans
Gortan’s deal-writing days are perhaps becoming shorter, but as a brokerage, Simplicity is only going from strength to strength. The business is expanding its footprint with physical offices in Melbourne and Brisbane, while the established team in Victoria is “hitting great numbers and continuing to grow”.
Further up the east coast, the Queensland office “is already sprouting green shoots despite only being open for a few months,” Gortan said.
This is being made possible through an interstate joint venture model, whereby Simplicity brings the systems, training and tech in combination with local relationships and what JP calls “a hunger to lead in every market we enter.”
Aligning with the theme of diversification that is so prevalent in the broader broking industry, Simplicity is also making it easier for residential brokers to do business with it by fleshing out a curated referral network of trusted specialists.
Simplicity’s Marketplace referral platform allows resi brokers to handle commercial leads as they emerge without having to send business elsewhere.
It’s going gangbusters by the sound of it. According to Gortan, Simplicity is seeing between 80 and 100 leads come through the platform every week. This has necessitated some heavy investments in technology, including end-to-end workflows, automation, dashboards and business intelligence tools, all tailored for commercial finance. “It’s efficient, transparent and scalable,” he said.
As a pure-play commercial brokerage, Simplicity is also in a good position to help resi brokers with commercial, asset and development finance deals without fear of clients being poached.
Simplicity’s vast network of business development managers also plays a crucial role in keeping the group at the top of its game. “Our BDMs are not just introducers – they’re educators, mentors and problem-solvers,” Gortan said. “They help scale our brand, nurture new brokers and keep our pipeline strong.”
Regardless of the technologies, regional expansions and referral networks that Simplicity is rolling out, they all serve the purpose of future-proofing the brokerage for the new guard. Gortan now wants to help this new guard get the recognition it deserves.
MPA’s Top Commercial Brokers 2025 features six Simplicity brokers, but Gortan’s aim is to get that number closer to 10. “I think we’ll be successful at doing that,” he said.
