The brokerage has appointed the former Oak Capital head of strategic partnerships to spearhead its onboarding and management of business partnerships.
Podium Money & Equipment Finance, a diversified brokerage founded by managing director Petro Trianta, has welcomed Nick Green to its ranks as its inaugural head of distribution & partnerships.
Green, who has more than 15 years’ experience in the finance industry (including, most recently, as head of distribution at private lender Oak Capital), joined the brokerage on Monday (1 July) and has been tasked with looking after the onboarding and management of Podium’s key business partners, including referrers and joint venture broker partners across commercial, residential, and equipment finance.
Given his experience at aggregators PLAN Australia (now part of LMG) and BDM and credit roles at ING Australia and Advantedge (NAB), the new hire will also assist the 18-year-old brokerage with its lender and aggregator relationships, while working alongside the senior leadership team on other growth opportunities in market.
The brokerage suggested that Green’s appointment comes as it looks to grow and further expand its operations nationally. The company currently has around 20 staff in offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, as well as a number of subcontracting brokers.
Trianta, the founder and MD of Podium Money, said he was “thrilled” to welcome Green to the team, highlighting his track record in leading national sales teams and corporate strategic partnerships.
“His extensive experience and expertise will be invaluable as we continue to expand our presence in market,” Trianta said.
“I have worked closely with Nick as his broker client in one way or another for over a decade, so it’s very exciting that we will continue to work together but in a different capacity now that he has joined the group.”
Ian Christie, Podium’s general manager, said: “Having Nick join us at Podium Money is a key milestone in our growth journey. He already knows our business well having collaborated with us in his previous roles, but the relationships and experience he will bring to this newly created role will be vital as we look to expand our operations as well as continue to grow our settlement volumes as one of Australia’s leading commercial and equipment finance brokerages.”
Green said he was “very excited” to join Podium and “looked forward to collaborating with their talented team to deliver exceptional service to our clients and business partners, as well as find new and innovative solutions that we can bring to market”.
Podium Money’s move to recruit its first head of distribution & partnerships comes amid an increasing number of similar appointments at larger brokerages with aggressive growth plans.
Last month, financial services group Empower Wealth announced that it had hired Sam Boer, the former CEO of aggregation group Smartline and CBA’s former head of broker, as its new business development director.
Boer had been working with Empower Wealth on an advisory basis since 2023 but became the group’s business development director on 3 June to lead its new mergers and acquisitions (M&A) function.
In his new position, he is tasked with identifying, assessing, and working collaboratively with established brokers and businesses looking to transfer the custodianship of their client base to Empower Wealth Mortgage Advisory.
Similarly, commercial brokerage Simplicity Loans & Advisory Group hired former Suncorp and Capify BDM Dino Pacella to take management of its growth and amplification through the third-party channel in 2020.
[Related: Sam Boer joins Empower Wealth]
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