- Latitude Group (LFS) promotes Bob Belan to Managing Director and CEO
- Mr Belan joined Latitude in 2021 as Executive General Manager of the Money Division, following the acquisition of Symple Loans of which he was a founder
- The incoming CEO has more than 20 years’ experience in consumer finance working for Symple, ANZ, JP Morgan Chase and American Express
- He takes over from Ahmed Fahour who resigned from the position back in August 2022 and will assist with the leadership transition
- Latitude shares are down 4.4 per cent, trading at $1.30 at 3:27 pm AEDT
Latitude Group (LFS) has promoted Bob Belan to Managing Director and CEO.
Mr Belan joined Latitude in 2021 as Executive General Manager of the Money Division, following the acquisition of Symple Loans which he founded in 2018 with Paul Byrne.
The incoming CEO has more than 20 years’ experience in consumer finance businesses across Australia, Asia and the USA having held roles at Symple, ANZ, JP Morgan Chase and American Express.
Latitude Chairman Mike Tilley said the appointment follows an “extensive global search”.
“It is very pleasing that after embarking on a global search over many months, the best candidate to lead Latitude through the next phase of its life as a listed entity was already part of our team.
“Bob has made an outstanding contribution to Latitude since joining in 2021, not only in the integration of Symple and Latitude’s personal and auto lending activities but also in his role as a leader across all facets of our business,” Mr Tilley said.
Mr Belan said he was “delighted” to lead Latitude moving foward.
“We operate in a dynamic, often ambiguous and highly competitive environment that is evolving rapidly.
“I believe we are well positioned to capitalise on the opportunities that this creates – pivoting our strategies to achieve market-leading receivables growth, leveraging our inherent strengths to unlock our full commercial potential and ensuring laser focus on generating positive outcomes for our customers, employees and shareholders alike.”
The appointment follows Ahmed Fahour’s resignation as CEO and Managing Director in August 2022.
“Ahmed has led Latitude through some of its most important and most difficult times, including its listing in 2021 at the height of COVID lockdown restrictions and through the significant customer and operational challenges of COVID over almost 2.5 years,” Mr Tilley added.
“Ahmed’s extensive experience as a CEO was incredibly valuable in dealing with these challenges.”
The company confirmed Mr Fahour will assist a smooth leadership transition.
Latitude shares were down 4.4 per cent, trading at $1.30 at 3:27 pm AEDT.