Pepper announces new commercial BDMs

Working closely with the head of commercial lending Malcolm Withers, Mr Goaley will focus on the NSW, Queensland and Western Australia markets, while Mr Sibberas will be responsible for Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

Pepper Money announced the pilot program for their first CRE offering back in February this year.

The offering reportedly targets an “underserved segment” of CRE loans for SMEs to the value of $3 million, according to Pepper.

The lender said the new CRE “has been very well received by brokers”, particularly given the limited number of lenders operating in this segment.

In light of this reception, Mr Withers said he is “pleased” that brokers are “embracing Pepper’s commercial solutions for their SME clients”.

“We are working hard to ensure brokers and their clients receive strong support and high service levels that have become Pepper’s trademark,” he said.

In doing so, Mr Withers said he was pleased to bring the new BDMs on board, labelling the two as “impressive individuals”.

“I’m pleased to report that brokers are embracing Pepper’s commercial solutions for their SME clients as it extends the breadth of their loan offerings and generates new revenue streams,” Mr Withers said. 

“We are working hard to ensure brokers and their clients receive strong support and high service levels that have become Pepper’s trademark. We understand the emotional roller-coaster ride that many borrowers face while seeking property loans, and we do our best to make things as simple and stress-free as possible.

“As part of this focus, it’s vital to have the right people on board, and I’m delighted that Luke Goaley and Jeremy Sibberas have agreed to join our dynamic commercial team. What I appreciate is the strength of their relationships with brokers and their drive to find the right loan solutions for their clients.

Mr Goaley has previous experience as a BDM at St.George, and was a credit analyst for the bank prior. He also has experience at Ulster Bank in Ireland as a debt restructuring analyst and BDM.

Mr Goaley said he was “immediately drawn” to the new commercial lending team at Pepper.

“After meeting the team at Pepper, I was immediately drawn to the team’s entrepreneurial approach to business and open mindedness in finding solutions for customers,” he said.

“Officially launching Pepper Commercial is a phenomenal opportunity and I’m looking forward to introducing the innovative offering to more brokers.”

Mr Sibberas joins the non-bank lender after working as a corporate and commercial senior BDM and business banking relationship manager at Westpac. He previously held a similar position at NAB.

He commented: “Having worked with Malcolm in the past, I know him to be highly regarded within the industry, and I see him as a mentor, and so the opportunity to work under his leadership was too good to pass up.

“Post [banking] royal commission, I’ve noticed increasingly how brokers are becoming closer to their clients and, while the big four banks continue to struggle with the basics, like speed to market, I see a real opportunity for Pepper to grow substantially meeting the changing needs of this important third-party segment,” he added.

[Related: Pepper to launch into commercial real estate space]