Peter Brodnicki, co-founder and long-serving chief executive of Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), has spent 25 years building one of the UK’s most successful mortgage advisory groups. But if there is a single theme running through his story, it is not wealth, awards or industry acclaim – it is risk.

Speaking on the No Filter podcast with Brightstar Group CEO Rob Jupp, Brodnicki offered a rare, candid look at the mindset behind MAB’s rise from a start-up in Derby to one of the best-known names in the intermediary sector.

Brodnicki founded Mortgage Advice Bureau in 2000, after a career at Legal & General and a long-held ambition to run his own firm.

“I’ve run the business ever since,” he said. “What can I say? I’ve got an incredible team. We’ve tried to evolve, move with the times, constantly improve and learn. It’s been a journey I’ve loved every minute of.”

That “journey” – now a quarter of a century long – has led many to call him the most successful mortgage entrepreneur in the modern UK market.

Brodnicki rejects the label. “The industry’s been littered with successful and incredible people,” he said. “Just to be mentioned is a great honour. I don’t see it about being the best. I just love our industry, I love my business, and I love the challenge of what we do.”

BORN DRIVING FORWARD

Jupp describes Brodnicki as “the most driven person I’ve ever met” – a claim the MAB chief struggles to attribute to nature or nurture.

His father was driven, he says, and he learned as much from his mistakes as from his successes.

But the instinct that has always dominated his approach is to look forwards.

“You can’t ignore the past,” he said. “But I can only look forward. I’ve always got a million things I want to do. Too many steps ahead, probably, for everyone who works with me.”

He was, he admits, a “late starter” by modern entrepreneurial standards.

“You see entrepreneurs in their teens and 20s,” he said. “I didn’t start MAB until I was 40. When we listed the business, I was 54.”

What he did have was timing – and the willingness to leap. As insurers retreated from the mortgage market in the early 2000s, he saw an opening to build something new. “That was when I got seriously out of my comfort zone,” he said.

It came with consequences. Brodnicki threw all his savings into the fledgling business, took a major pay cut and moved to Derby to build the company.

Then came personal upheaval: his mother died shortly after the move; his brother’s health declined rapidly; and the cost of long-term care landed on his shoulders.

“It was bloody tough,” he said. “Everyone has their hardships. You just roll up your sleeves and get on with it. When you’re up against the wall, you either fold or you go for it.”

THE 2008 GAMBLE

Perhaps the defining moment of his leadership came during the 2007-08 financial crisis. As lenders, advisers and corporates cut staff and costs, MAB did the opposite.

“Why didn’t you cut?” Jupp asked.

“Because I’m a lunatic,” Brodnicki joked. But his reasoning was clear: after years of painstaking work, MAB had just turned its first significant profit.

“I’d built a great team, and I didn’t want to cut that back. I tend to do the opposite of what other people do. Was there an opportunity to move at a greater pace, to move forward five steps instead of one?”

The decision proved pivotal. “You don’t achieve anything extraordinary without taking risks,” he said. “Fundamentally, I am a gambler. I will take risks more than other people will.”

A CULTURE OF GIVING BACK

Away from growth and strategy, Brodnicki’s long-standing commitment to charity came into view during the podcast.

From supporting Fulham FC’s community causes to raising more than £500,000 through the MAB Foundation, philanthropy runs through his professional life.

But he is quick to dismiss the idea that wealth demands charity.

“I don’t think it’s about being a wealthy individual,” he said. “We all have a social responsibility. Some give time, some give money. Nothing’s changed for me.”

On the day this interview took place he was joining a sleep-out organised by the Crabtree Foundation to raise funds for homelessness charities.

“I’ve never asked anyone for sponsorship,” he said. “Normally it involves climbing mountains or running marathons, which I don’t do. But sleeping? That’s got to be me.”

STILL OBSESSED WITH THE JOB

Despite his age – which Jupp teases him about repeatedly – Brodnicki shows no sign of slowing down.

“This business is in my DNA,” he said. “I look forward to waking up every day and doing it. Every day is different. It’s a challenge.”

He has no exercise regime, does not meditate and leaves long walks to his equally lazy dog. His relaxation comes from simple pleasures: friends, family, Fulham and home.

“I enjoy sharing experiences with people who are important to me,” he said. “Life’s about experiences.”

After 25 years, Mortgage Advice Bureau remains one of the industry’s most recognisable brands. Its founder remains its engine. Looking back has never interested him; looking forward is the only gear he knows.

Watch and list to the No Filter podcast HERE.