Can you tell us about yourself and your background?
I was born and raised in County Wexford, Ireland and studied Business and Finance at Dublin City University. My first job was with the Bank of Ireland in Dublin. Then, following a one-year working holiday visit to Australia in 2001 (where I first met my wife of 15 years), I made the decision to emigrate to Brisbane back in 2004. In the 18 years since I’ve worked for the likes of ANZ, Bankwest and Bank of Queensland in positions across Business, Corporate and Property. I also completed a Master of Applied Finance.
Professionally, my passion has always been Business Development. I take great pride in connecting good people with their finance. The mortgage broking industry has always been fundamental to my approach. Having trusted third-party origination relationships with industry expertise allows me to cover more ground in a concise and targeted manner.
How did you come to be part of the Pallas Capital team?
Pallas Capital actually caught me by surprise in reaching out directly with an opportunity to come on board. We share some mutual contacts and thankfully one of these people recommended me as potentially being a good fit for the Queensland origination role.
It goes to show how interactions from years past can have massive influences on your future.
What does a typical workday look like for you at Pallas Capital?
I can’t say there’s been a typical day yet! We only opened the doors of our new Brisbane office quite recently. That said, it’s been great getting back into the rhythm of working in a CBD – working from home doesn’t appeal to me.
Of course, there are some daily activities that are crucial to any Origination role and are non-negotiable for me. These include daily catch ups with my Credit Partner, Peter Blanc, to ensure we are on the same page with any opportunities under consideration and allow for smooth progression through the credit process.
I spend plenty of time nurturing my networks, whether that’s keeping in contact with established relationships or seeking new ones. Assessment is also very important – quality origination requires transactions to be targeted, pre-qualified and only brought forward with a high probability of success.
What has been your highlight at Pallas Capital so far?
Without a doubt, being here on day one to launch our new Queensland business.
It’s exciting to play a meaningful part in bringing an established and successful business to life in my local market.
What are your personal goals for 2022 outside of Pallas Capital?
The end of COVID travel restrictions means I will, finally, get to take my family home to Ireland for five weeks over Christmas – at the third attempt. My little sister recently emigrated back to Ireland with her young family after 15 years in Canada, so a riotous Irish family Christmas is certainly a goal.
Then there’s always the three-minute kilometre, the tango and learning Japanese…
If you would like to speak to Darragh email him at darragh.oriordan@pallascapital.com.au.