Liberty appoints chief distribution officer

Mr Smith’s new role as chief distribution officer (CDO) builds on Liberty’s sales capability and will have him in charge of the broader distribution platforms of the Liberty Financial Group (LFG), as well as its business relationships.

Mr Smith commenced with his role as CDO on 8 January 2024 and brought with him over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector, have previously served as the chief executive, lending at Lendi Group and the chief customer officer at Aussie Home Loans.

The non-bank lender stated Mr Smith is “strategy-driven with extensive leadership skills” who has “demonstrated a customer-first ethos well suited to Liberty’s approach”

Welcoming the new addition to the lender was Liberty CEO James Boyle who described the inaugural appointment as an “exciting and important step in the evolution of Liberty and its commitment to the broker channel”.

“David is a well-known and respected industry professional who brings a wealth of knowledge to our Group and we are thrilled to have him take on this important role,” he said.

“With a broad skill set that extends beyond sales, we believe David’s capabilities and freethinking mindset will be invaluable in driving distribution at Liberty as we continue supporting business partners to thrive in an evolving lending landscape.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Smith stated that he was excited to use his industry experience to continue building on the “existing solid foundation and contribute to Liberty’s ongoing growth”.

“Liberty is an energetic and authentic business that continues to add value to a broad section of the Australian population,” Mr Smith said.

“I am excited to be joining a business of the calibre and history of Liberty and I look forward to supporting its diverse range of products and partnerships.”

In February last year, Liberty was among the first non-bank lenders to gain accreditation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) under the Consumer Data Right (CDR) regime.

Additionally, the ACCC gave Liberty an exemption under section 56GD of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which has deferred its reciprocal data holder obligations “for all product phases until 1 December 2023”, effective from the date that Liberty was accredited.

[RELATED: ACCC grants Liberty CDR accreditation]