Get to know our leadership team

Akiko is an internationally experienced Non-Executive Director and strategy adviser. Akiko has more than 30 years’ experience as an executive in the financial services industry including with CBA, Macquarie Bank and Westpac in Australia and MUFG and Shinsei Bank in Japan, and as a strategy management consultant in the US and Australia.

Akiko has worked in both the private and the public sectors, in large corporations and start-ups and has extensive experience in strategy & business development, risk management and large-scale transformation, including digital transformation.

Akiko is a Non- Executive Director of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (‘ACECQA’) and of the Foundation and Friends (F&F) of the Botanic Gardens, and a member of the Portfolio Advisory Council of Services Australia and of the Audit & Risk Committee of Infrastructure NSW. She also chairs the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee of the F&F and is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee of ACECQA.

Akiko’s past directorship includes a Non-Executive Director of 86 400 Limited, as well as being a member of the Advisory Committee of the Australian Treasury and the Strategy Advisory Committee of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Akiko is a Fulbright Scholar with an MBA from Stanford University in California and has a Bachelor of Law from Keio University in Tokyo.

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. Mario was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Pepper Money in 2017 and is responsible for the strategy and oversight of Pepper Money’s businesses across Australia and New Zealand.

With over 19 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 held various roles including State Manager, Mortgage Broker Distribution – Western Australia and South Australia for Westpac and is a known champion of mortgage broker education and growing the specialist lending category.

In 2019 and 2021, Mario was included in the MPA Mortgage Global 100 List featuring leaders who are making a difference in today’s mortgage industry.

Mike has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry, both in Australia and abroad, extensive knowledge of comprehensive credit reporting regimes in Australia and international markets, and has been one of the original champions in the Australian market.

Mike is currently a Non- Executive Director of Sezzle, an ASX listed Buy Now Pay Later company and is the Chair of the Arteva Funding. Prior to joining the Pepper Money Board, Mike held various executive positions including Group Managing Director of Equifax ANZ, Chief Risk Officer ANZ Bank (Australia Division), CEO at GE Money Australia & New Zealand, and CEO of OAMPS Insurance Brokers.

Mike has held various directorships and chairmanships with Wesfarmers, and with GE, and AFC from 2006 and NIBA from 2013.

Mike is a Senior Fellow of Finsia, Graduate of the AICD, served as a Director of the Women’s Cancer Foundation from 2006 to 2015, Director of the Australian Finance Conference from 2006 to 2009 and National Insurance Brokers Association from 2013 to 2014.

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Justine has over 25 years’ experience in driving commercial business success with her specialist legal experience on executive employment and related governance issues, in both private and public enterprises and on national and global levels.

Prior to joining the Pepper Money Board, Justine held various positions including founding Partner of Seyfarth Shaw Australia and Partner of Herbert Smith Freehills. More recently Justine has consulted businesses on workplace behaviour and culture issues.

Justine has a long association with Pepper Money, initially as lead Employment Advisor on the Australian GE Residential Mortgages acquisition in 2011, and then as ongoing employment advisor with Herbert Smith Freehills and Seyfarth Shaw. Justine is a former board member for Catholic Schools NSW/ACT, Access EAP and TAFE NSW.

Rob has held senior positions at investment and commercial banks, in Australia and the United Kingdom, in Fixed Income, Capital Markets, Infrastructure and Securitisation for over 35 years.

These include: Head of DCM Origination BZW Australia (Barclays Banking Group), Head of Fixed Income Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Europe), member of management committee CBA (Europe), Head of Primary Markets CBA, and a leading member of CQ (CBA’s Institutional Bank Diversity and Culture Council).

Prior to his retirement from the banking industry in 2019, Rob was head of the Securitisation business at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, where he acted as banker to many of Australia’s major non-bank lenders, including Pepper Money.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts and Law (University of Melbourne), Master of Applied Finance (Macquarie University) & Graduate Diploma in Commercial Law (Monash University).

Des has more than 40 years’ global experience in Banking and Consumer Finance.

He was appointed to the Pepper Global Group Board in March 2014 and he Chairs the Group Audit and Risk Committee.Des is currently Chairman of Oodle Finance; a U.K. based auto finance business and is on the board of Byblos Bank in Lebanon (where he is Chair of the Risk Committee) and Byblos Bank Europe (where he is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee). 

Des was Chair of Ulster Bank Limited in Ireland until July 2020 and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. He has been on the board of banks and other financial institutions in more than 12 countries in Europe, Asia, South and Central America.