Our Leadership Team

After graduating from The University of Queensland with a business degree, Daniel quickly climbed the ranks at Cash Converters International (ASX:CCV). By 2010, at the age of 23, he managed the national online lending arm of the company in Australia and was instrumental in its expansion into the UK market, spending parts of 2011 and 2012 on the ground.

It was during his time in the more advanced UK lending market that the founding vision to launch Jacaranda Finance was formed, noticing the rapid adoption of digital lending. Since 2014, when Daniel launched Jacaranda Finance, he has been the company's Chief Executive Officer.

In 2021, Jacaranda Finance landed a spot in the Australian Financial Review Fast 100 list and has won many awards. Daniel himself has won awards, including the BNA Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Finance, Professional Services) for 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, as well as ranking in the top 100 Young Entrepreneurs in Australia from 2018 to 2023.

Andrew is a seasoned executive with a passion for driving innovation and creating world-class products. As the Chief Product Officer at Jacaranda Finance, Andrew's main objective is to be cost-effective and efficient. Andrew also plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's product strategy and overseeing the entire product development lifecycle.

With over ten years of experience in the technology and product management space, Andrew has a proven track record of delivering high-impact, customer-centric solutions. He is known for his ability to bridge the gap between business strategy and technical execution, ensuring that products not only meet market demands but also drive sustainable growth.

Tim Kuusik is an accomplished executive leader with deep experience in operational transformation, strategy, and commercial growth across technology, financial services, and consulting. As Jacaranda Finance’s Chief Operating Officer, Tim partners closely with the CEO to ensure the business runs as a high-performance engine — scalable, reliable, and always moving forward.

Before joining Jacaranda Finance, Tim held senior roles with NCS Group, Arq Group and EY, where he led large-scale integrations, operational transformations, and cultural change initiatives across large businesses. His leadership was instrumental in delivering significant growth, streamlining operations, and embedding data-driven decision-making to support long-term strategy.

Tim holds an MBA from the University of Queensland. He is also a Chartered Accountant, with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts (Music).

Joshua Wessels is a seasoned executive with a robust commercial acumen, dedicated to driving growth and profitability at Jacaranda Finance. As an Executive of Jacaranda Finance, Joshua excels in identifying and capitalizing on new business opportunities, streamlining operations, and implementing strategic initiatives. His expertise spans various aspects of the business, ensuring that Jacaranda Finance remains at the forefront of the consumer lending industry in Australia.

Ryan Castles is the Head of Lending at Jacaranda Finance, overseeing credit assessment, lending strategy, portfolio quality and responsible lending across the business.

With more than a decade of experience in lending and credit, Ryan has built strong capabilities across credit decision-making, lending operations, portfolio management and regulatory compliance. As one of the first to join Jacaranda Finance, he also brings a deep understanding of how the company’s lending practices have evolved alongside its growth.

At Jacaranda Finance, Ryan leads a team of lending professionals focused on delivering fast, fair and customer-focused lending decisions while maintaining strong credit quality. He also serves as Chair of the Credit Risk Committee, overseeing credit risk appetite, lending performance, policy governance and emerging portfolio trends.

Russell Cummings is the Head of Collections at Jacaranda Finance, where he oversees the company’s collections strategy, operational performance and customer engagement across the collections lifecycle.

Russell brings more than 25 years of experience across collections, banking, financial services and fintech, having held senior roles at Westpac Group, Macquarie Group, InDebted and Circular. Throughout his career, he has led large-scale collections operations, developed data-driven strategies and implemented digital solutions to improve operational efficiency and customer outcomes.

At Jacaranda Finance, Russell is focused on building a scalable, high-performing collections function that balances strong portfolio performance with fair and responsible customer outcomes. His approach combines data, technology and operational discipline to strengthen collections processes, support customers experiencing financial difficulty and develop the capabilities of his team.

Janine Connors is the Head of Compliance & Audit at Jacaranda Finance, overseeing the business’ compliance, audit and governance activities.

Before joining Jacaranda Finance, Janine spent more than 20 years working across risk, compliance and governance within the financial services industry. Her career has involved navigating complex regulatory environments, overseeing audit and assurance activities, strengthening risk frameworks and establishing internal controls.

At Jacaranda Finance, Janine provides oversight to ensure regulatory obligations are reflected in the company’s governance frameworks, policies and controls. She also serves as Chair of the Compliance Committee and holds the formal appointments of Group Privacy Officer and AML/CTF Officer across the Jacaranda Finance Group.

Ashleigh Garner is the Head of Hardship & Resolutions at Jacaranda Finance, where she leads the teams responsible for hardship, complaints and customer resolutions.

Including her time at Jacaranda Finance, Ashleigh has spent nearly 20 years in customer-focused financial services roles, including positions at Latitude Financial Services and Cash Converters. Across these roles, she developed extensive experience supporting customers experiencing financial difficulty and resolving complex matters.

At Jacaranda Finance, Ashleigh applies this experience to deliver fair, compassionate and timely customer outcomes while maintaining strong regulatory compliance and operational standards. As Chair of the Resolutions Committee, she also provides governance and oversight across the company’s approach to hardship, complaints and customer resolutions.

Julia Paino is the Head of People Success at Jacaranda Finance, where she oversees the company’s people strategy, recruitment, employee development and workplace culture.

Before joining Jacaranda Finance, Julia worked within the professional services sector, building a strong foundation in operations and supporting teams in fast-paced, customer-focused environments. Her background shaped a practical approach to creating workplaces where employees feel supported to grow and perform at their best.

At Jacaranda Finance, Julia leads initiatives spanning talent acquisition, career pathways and employee engagement, with a focus on maintaining a vibrant, inclusive and supportive culture. Under her leadership, Jacaranda Finance achieved Great Place to Work certification in 2024, 2025 and 2026, reaching an employee engagement score of 98%.

Matt Presland is the Head of Technology at Jacaranda Finance, where he leads the development, reliability and continuous improvement of the company’s technology platforms and systems.

Matt brings more than 15 years of experience across software engineering, digital product development, technology operations and aviation. This varied background has shaped a disciplined approach to problem-solving, with a strong focus on reliability, innovation and customer outcomes.

At Jacaranda Finance, Matt has spent 6 years building and scaling the platforms, systems and automation capabilities that support the business. Under his technology leadership, the company has expanded its AI capabilities, including Jackie, which was recognised as a 2026 Finder Innovation Awards People’s Choice nominee for Best AI Innovation.

Alex Rayner is Head of Growth & Marketing at Jacaranda Finance, leading the company’s growth strategy across acquisition, brand, partnerships and customer growth.

He brings close to two decades of experience across Australia and the United Kingdom, with senior roles spanning financial services, telecommunications, lotteries, media and entertainment. His career has centred on using customer insight, data and technology to solve commercial challenges, strengthen brands and create sustainable growth in complex, highly regulated markets.

At Jacaranda Finance, Alex is focused on building the data, technology and team capabilities required for sustained growth, with a particular emphasis on operationalising AI to drive commercial outcomes, improve customer experiences and enable better decision-making. He is passionate about building high-performing teams and creating a culture of experimentation, accountability and continuous improvement.