Mario joined Pepper Money in 2011 and has held various roles including Managing Director, Australian Mortgages and Personal Loans, Director of Sales and Distribution, Australian Mortgages and Personal Loans. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Pepper Money Limited in 2017 and is responsible for the strategy and oversight of Pepper Money businesses across Australia and New Zealand. With more than 18 years of extensive experience across banking and finance, Mario has held senior positions in an ADI environment as well as in the non-bank sector. Mario is a known champion of mortgage broker education and growing the specialist lending category.

Diane joined AFIA as CEO in November 2019. She has over 25 years’ experience in financial services and public policy, including representing the Australian financial services industry in international forums; and she is the current Chair of the Finance Industry Council for Australia.

Prior to joining AFIA, Diane held various senior executive roles at the Australian Banking Association where she led the industry through the Financial Services Royal Commission and was the architect of the Banking Reform Program announced in 2016. She has also worked in the Federal Government, AUSTRAC, ASIC, and FINSIA. Diane is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Harvard Kennedy School, and Macquarie University.

Katherine is the CEO and Chairperson of Brighte Capital. Brighte is one of Australia’s fastest growing Fintech companies. Katherine has 20 years’ experience in finance, previously holding senior positions at Macquarie Bank in equipment and asset finance and, early in her career, as an economist for the Australian Government at the Treasury and Department of Finance. Katherine has been recognised by the industry for her leadership, receiving multiple awards including Outstanding Fintech Leader of the Year.

Cameron is the CEO of OnDeck Australia. OnDeck Australia, established in 2015, provides unsecured small business loans using their unique credit score - the “Koala Score”. Prior to launching OnDeck in Australia, he was the founding CEO of GraysOnline, one of Australia’s largest eCommerce groups, growing the company to over $500 million in online sales. Before this, Cameron worked as an engineer and production manager at Eveready Australia.

Clare is Group Executive, Commercial Banking at ANZ. She has worked almost 25 years in financial services and management consulting across Australia and the US. Clare has expertise in running large scale profit and loss businesses, setting strategic direction, M&A, developing and retaining high performance teams, executing complex change, governing decision making forums and leading technology programs. She is passionate about business model innovation, product and process design, the power of diversity and creating high performance teams.

Jon is a finance company executive with more than 30 years’ experience in Australia and New Zealand in asset and vehicle finance markets. In 1998 he established and grew Mercedes Benz Finance NZ for six years, before transferring to Daimler Finance Australia where he led the Sales and Marketing team. Jon joined Macquarie Leasing in 2006, where he led various sales channels, before becoming the Managing Director in 2014. In 2019 Jon joined Allied Credit as the Chief Executive Officer, leading the company into a growth phase. Jon has sat as a director on the AFIA board for several years, including two years as Chairman.

Cindy is the General Counsel and Company Secretary for Qudos Bank and has more than 27 years’ experience in the finance industry specialising in legal, compliance, and governance. Cindy has worked with Qudos Bank for over 20 years and previously held senior legal and compliance positions with Australian Guarantee Corporation and Permanent Trustee. Prior to commencing in the finance industry, she was a solicitor in private practice.

Ofir is Head of Compliance and Enterprise Risk at Angle Auto Finance. He has held previous roles at GE Capital and Latitude Financial Services. Ofir has experience in designing and implementing compliance, enterprise, and operational risk frameworks and people leadership. Ofir has developed and implemented risk management strategies to support the achievement of business objectives through various business cycles and strategic change programs.

Reggie is CEO and Managing Director of ORIX Australia Corporation Limited (ORIX). ORIX is a major commercial finance and leasing provider in Australia and New Zealand and is an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality from 2020 to 2022 by the Australian Federal Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency and recognised as one of The Australian Financial Review’s Most Innovative Companies for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Reggie started his career in Silicon Valley working in financial services and technology firms in both start-ups and established organisations. At ORIX, he has transformed the business by introducing new technology centric solutions and reimagining “old proven” concepts with a current perspective to assist customers in today’s complex and continually changing environment. Just as we’ve seen other industries embrace and grow from new technologies, Reggie is future-focused and excited to lead the ORIX team in the changing landscape of the automotive and finance industry.

James is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Financial Group, a listed Australian non-bank lender. Liberty offers a wide range of home, car, personal and business loans, as well as SMSF lending and insurance products across Australia and New Zealand. James has been part of the Liberty Group for over 20 years and is responsible for Liberty’s vision, direction and strategic execution. James has a wealth of experience spanning global institutional and retail finance and brings invaluable insights into the changing landscape of financial services industry. James is passionate about agility, free thinking, diverse cultures and contributing to better communities.

Ian has nearly 35 years of experience in the financial services sector, with a wide-ranging expertise that includes Asset Finance, Premium Funding, Securitisation, Superannuation, Asset Management, and Financial Planning. His passion lies in building successful businesses and leading teams to success through clarity, empowerment, and support. Ian became the CEO of Vestone Capital in October 2023, after previously serving as the CFO of Vestone for 3 years.