Digital mortgage law firm appoints first group CEO

Digital mortgage law firm Galilee Solicitors (Galilee) confirmed Ms Paholski will expand on her current role as CEO of the Galilee-owned technology company thelawstore.com.au to the newly created role of group CEO.

Ms Paholski has held a variety of executive roles over the last 20 years, which has seen her lead teams and specialise in corporate communications, marketing, and stakeholder engagement across the public and private sectors.

In addition, the firm announced the appointment of former MyState Bank head of lending distribution Blake Albones to the role of chief sales officer where he will be in charge of leading the sales function for the firm.

Mr Albones’ experience spans across mortgage broking, aggregation, operations, product development and distribution, and retail banking.

According to the firm, Mr Albones will use this expertise to ensure Galilee continues to produce innovative and market-leading solutions to the Australian finance and property industry.

On her appointment, Ms Paholski said she’s excited to have the opportunity to lead the group and is looking forward to “leading the passionate and dedicated team” while building on the foundations laid out by the directors and leadership teams.

“We’ve got over 100 hardworking individuals across the country, delivering superior solutions and customer service to some of Australia’s leading businesses and I look forward to working with each of them to maintain and grow the high standards they set for the industry,” she added.

Mr Albones commented: “It’s no secret that we’re in challenging times in the financial industry, a sentiment that echoes across the other industries we service — legal, conveyancing, and real estate.

“I’ll be working hard to get to the bottom of what each sector needs to remain competitive and how Galilee can support them to get there.”

Managing partner Simon Duke will be leaving his current position and move into an executive director role.

Mr Duke said that he looks forward to the new stage of investment and growth for the firm with the appointment of Ms Paholski and Mr Albones.

“The investments we’ve made in building proprietary technology solutions to help our clients stay ahead are absolutely the right investments,” Mr Duke concluded.

“Lara and Blake have an unparalleled ability to build and strengthen relationships.

“That ability is key to helping our clients to fully harness the potential of our offering, in order to differentiate and better serve their own customers.”

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