Commercial finance lender Fifo Capital has welcomed three experienced hires to take on newly created key roles.
The new hires are Martin Russell (pictured above left), senior BDM, Zoe Hayden (pictured above centre), head of marketing, and Gail Worsley (pictured above right), finance manager and solutions expert.
Fifo Capital says the new appointments will enable the lender to deliver on its mission of offering better finance solutions to Australian businesses. The new roles have been introduced prior to the anticipated launch of its innovative finance platform, Fifopay.
Russell joins the team as senior BDM, expanding the support for the Fifo Capital broker market team. He has just returned to Australia from the UK and has an extensive knowledge and understanding of advanced supply chain finance, finance frameworks and ESG requirements.
Hayden began working at Fifo Capital in July and has been leading the marketing function by propelling Fifo’s digital transformation journey, delivering a new website and a refreshed brand. She joined the team with extensive digital marketing and brand experience, including working for various state and federal government agencies and most recently Bendigo Bank.
Worsley has already started working as finance manager. She brings extensive experience to the role, with a background in invoice finance and working capital solutions and skills in client management, financial accounting and business development.
The three new staff hires follow Fifo Capital appointing Sam Henley as the senior BDM – brokers and distribution capital back in July and Hasitha Ratnayake as a senior BDM in March.
Fifo Capital CEO Wayne Morris said the new hires came at an important time for not only the lender but the Australian market as a whole.
“As businesses continue to struggle with supply chains and lasting uncertainties with trade finance, having better ways to not only access business finance but to access better finance solutions is imperative,” Morris said.
“The Australian economy is forecasted to grow by 2% in 2023, which means there are plenty of opportunities out there for SMEs to grow their business and as more businesses get wise to the need to diversify their finance, the need for working capital solutions and alternative finance will only continue to grow.”
Morris said Fifo Capital was rapidly increasing capability and support for its working capital solutions.
“These are designed to suit both SMEs and corporates,” he said.
“When we launch Fifopay next month, the ability for the Australian market to access better, smarter finance options will change irrevocably. We understand that for all the powerful features and benefits that Fifopay will bring, having the right support and the right humans on the ground is still so critical to ensuring that we maintain our excellence service levels and our reputation. Having the right team to support this growth and ensure we’re bringing more businesses and brokers on the journey is key.”
It has been a big year for the finance lender, following its partnership with Givvable in April. This was designed to provide open sustainability-linked options for small businesses, which can then be rewarded with better finance rates by leveraging their ESG credentials.
“This partnership rewards businesses with the opportunity to monetise their sustainability efforts,” Morris said. “There’s plenty of lenders looking to see how to connect ESG with finance and this initiative is a much-needed breakthrough for the SME sector.”
