Pepper Money is in growth mode, starting with a growing team across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
The non-bank has filled 10 roles across the three states, in an effort to double down on local expertise and better support brokers on the ground.
"Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria are seeing strong demand for both residential and commercial lending. This is driven by population growth, housing supply pressures, and a surge in small business activity in those regions," Barry Saoud, chief executive of mortgages and commercial lending at Pepper Money, told Australian Broker. "While the East Coast leads, we're also seeing steady growth in South Australia and Western Australia, particularly in niche segments like self-employed borrowers and specialist lending."
He added: "Our expanded teams bring together seasoned industry professionals who understand the nuances of complex scenarios and know how to navigate them with confidence, ensuring brokers can move with speed in a market that’s moving faster than ever.
"For brokers, the message is simple: when you bring a deal to Pepper Money, you’re backed by the right people with the right skills to get it done," Saoud continued. "We’re growing so our brokers can grow, and we’re committed to being the partner they rely on.
"With [interest] rates still in flux, our expanded team is focused on speed and certainty for brokers and borrowers. That means quick decisions, more personalised support, and really helpful loan options that reflect real-life circumstances," he said.
Vladimir Murphy‑Mulcahy joins from Mortgage Ezy. He is now Pepper Money's Queensland state lead. Tony Wakim, Pepper Money senior business development manager (BDM) in Sydney, has been elevated to New South Wales state lead. Both report directly to Drew Clegg, Pepper Money's regional sales manager for New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland.
Meanwhile, a number of BDM's have been added to the team across the three states including:
• Nikita Borg in Brisbane, as Queensland BDM. She comes from Credit One Finance.
• Keishan Sub, as relationship manager in Queensland.
• Hrideyjot ‘Ridday’ Walia, as business support specialist in Queensland. He comes from Shift.
• Iva Young in Sydney, as senior NSW BDM. She comes from Ubank.
• Alice Moniz in Sydney, as NSW BDM. Returning to Pepper Money from American Express.
• Georgia Constantinidis in Melbourne, as Victoria BDM. She comes from BlackBriar.
• Anthony Stiles in Victoria, as senior Victoria BDM. He comes from MyState Bank.
• Aysun Portoglou in Victoria, as senior Victoria BDM. She comes from Ubank.
In addition to the growing team, Pepper has also established a new hub of residential credit assessors across Queensland, NSW and Victoria. The company said this will speed up turnaround times, expand credit capabilities and make credit expertise more accessible in those states.
"From the first conversation to final approval, brokers now have access to deeper credit expertise, more specialised guidance and strengthened national coverage,” Saoud said.
And, Pepper said it is also growing its commercial and self-managed super funds (SMSF) credit teams. "Demand is rising," Saoud said, "driven by [small- to medium-sized enterprises] seeking alternative funding as banks tighten criteria, and borrowers looking for flexible structures for investments."
Pepper Money, which turned 25 last year, was founded in 2000. The firm went public in 2015, only to go private again after being acquired by KKR in 2017. Pepper was eventually relisted on the ASX in 2021. Rumors began circulating last spring that the company was up for sale. But Pepper would not confirm or deny.
As of late 2025, Pepper managed more than $20 billion in assets and has served roughly 570,000 customers. Mario Rehayem, chief executive officer of Pepper, said in September that the firm's next goal is to surpass more than one million customers by 2029.
Pepper’s expansion comes as Australia’s non-bank sector accelerates, fuelled by tighter bank lending standards and a pullback in risk appetite.
"What we are seeing is a change in Australia in that traditional borrower," Saoud said. "We are seeing borrowers are becoming more complex in their financial situation; we are seeing the rise of the gig economy. We are seeing borrowers who have multiple different jobs they're doing to compensate, or sort of drive their income. So, brokers and customers are seeking flexibility."
