A commercial house before it ever wrote a home loan
The founder
AAA begins with John Macalyk, who left a state manager's role in asset finance in the early 1980s to broke deals on his own. He built one of the industry's first client databases, built from thousands of business cards and sent 100,000 personalised letters a year. In 1980 he was among the twenty people who founded the association that became the MFAA, as its fifth member. In 1988, he established AAA in Sydney.
Commercial first
For its first two decades AAA was a commercial and asset finance house. John resisted writing home loans for twenty-five years, not out of principle but because the commercial work kept growing.
Residential lending arrived after the global financial crisis, added to a business that already thought in structures, entities and credit strategy. Along the way John trained and mentored many of the brokers who went on to become prominent names in the industry.
The second generation
Melissa Ashcroft came to the business in 2013 and learned the commercial craft that built the firm, and now leads it as Managing Director, with John still active in the business.
Under her, AAA advises across the full spectrum: residential and high-net-worth lending, commercial property, construction and development, commercial SMSF and mid-market business funding.
Different decades, different markets, same idea. Advice first, and the whole picture always.
Milestones
1980
John Macalyk is among the twenty founders of the association that becomes the MFAA, its fifth member. He establishes one of the industry's first client databases, built from thousands of business cards and 100,000 personalised letters a year.
1988
AAA established in Sydney as a commercial and asset finance brokerage
2009
Residential lending added after the GFC
2013
Melissa Ashcroft joins the business
2021
Melissa named in MPA's Top 10 Commercial Brokers, the only woman on the list
2022
Melissa named Commercial Broker of the Year, Women in Finance Awards
2023
John awarded MFAA Life Membership
2023
Melissa becomes Managing Director
2025
Melissa elected Non-Executive Director of the MFAA and appointed to the board of ASX-listed Desane Holdings; named Commercial Finance Broker of the Year, Women in Finance Awards