Pepper Money has appointed its first head of growth, which the lender said reflected its push to translate market opportunities into expanded lending solutions.
Non-bank lender Pepper Money has appointed former Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Aussie Home Loans, and First Title executive Matthew Catt as its inaugural head of growth, placing him in charge of initiatives spanning products, partnerships, technology, operations, and customer experience.
Catt will report to Barry Saoud, Pepper Money’s CEO of mortgages and commercial lending, and will be responsible for identifying, testing, and delivering growth opportunities across the business.
The lender said the newly created position came as it continued to expand its lending capability and invest in initiatives intended to improve outcomes for its aggregator partners and distribution network.
Catt brings almost two decades of financial-services experience across product, distribution, operations, and strategic partnerships.
His background includes more than 10 years at CBA before he moved to Aussie Home Loans, where he held senior roles in white label distribution and distribution operations.
Pepper said Catt helped launch Aussie’s white label partnership with Pepper Money, giving him experience of both the lender’s business and partnership-based distribution.
More recently, Catt was strategic partnership manager at First Title.
Catt said Pepper’s approach to innovation and its broker focus were key factors in his decision to join the lender.
“Pepper Money has a strong reputation for challenging convention and finding better ways to help customers achieve their goals,” Catt said.
“What attracted me to the business was its growth mindset and commitment to putting brokers at the centre of what it does.”
The new head of growth said his prior involvement with Pepper had also given him a close view of its development over time.
“I’ve known Pepper for a long time, both as a customer and a partner, and I’ve watched the business continue to grow year after year. The opportunity to not just be part of that growth, but help drive what comes next, was incredibly exciting,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to helping bring new ideas to market, strengthen our broker and customer offering and support the next phase of Pepper Money’s growth journey.”
Broker feedback to shape priorities
Catt said direct input from brokers, customers, and Pepper’s own sales teams would guide the process of identifying and assessing opportunities.
“My approach is to bring together Pepper Money’s strategic priorities with what we’re hearing directly from brokers, customers and our sales teams,” Catt said.
“That gives us a really strong foundation to identify where the biggest opportunities are, validate those ideas and focus our efforts on the initiatives that can have the greatest impact.”
Saoud said the establishment of the role reflected Pepper’s effort to maintain momentum through innovation and execution.
“Pepper Money has entered an exciting phase of growth, supported by ongoing investment in new opportunities, expanded customer segments and enhanced broker solutions,” Saoud said.
“Matt’s breadth of experience across the mortgage industry, combined with his customer-first mindset and strategic capability, makes him ideally positioned to help us turn opportunities into initiatives that create real value for brokers, customers and the business.”
Saoud said the new role provided Pepper additional capacity to advance its plans.
“We have an ambitious growth agenda, and this role gives us dedicated capability to accelerate that work and continue finding new ways to support more brokers and their customers,” Saoud said.
The appointment also follows Pepper’s recent “Let’s Go” campaign, which the lender has positioned around expanding the number of customer scenarios that can be supported.
“Matt’s appointment builds on the momentum of Pepper Money’s most recent Let’s Go campaign, which reflects our commitment to helping brokers say ‘yes’ to more customers,” Saoud said.
“As head of growth, Matt will focus on identifying new opportunities, enhancing broker experiences and expanding the solutions available to help brokers support a broader range of customer needs.”
Record originations backdrop
The appointment also comes after Pepper Money’s strongest half-year originations result on record.
Total lending increased 40 per cent year on year to $6.3 billion in the six months to 30 June 2026, with mortgage originations rising 63 per cent to a record $4.5 billion.
Asset finance originations increased 2 per cent to $1.7 billion, while total applications rose 35 per cent to $9.9 billion.
Total assets under management grew 20 per cent year on year to a record $24 billion.
[Related: Pepper unveils sweeping expansion of lending parameters]
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