Meet our team

Liesl Knox

Chief Executive Officer

Liesl is a qualified lawyer with 25+ years’ experience in banking and financial services and has held numerous senior in-house roles in large international banks and NZ financial institutions. Liesl has specialised in setting up and leading commercial and strategically focused legal teams, with her roles expanding into enterprise and credit risk, and people and operations. Liesl joined Avanti in 2019 and commenced as CEO Australia in March 2023.

Olivia Meo-Groser

Chief Operations Officer

Olivia joined Avanti Group in April 2023 as our Chief Risk Officer, before moving into the Chief Operations Officer role in July 2024 to head up our customer-facing, product and pricing, and marketing teams.

With a career spanning over 20 years in the financial services sector in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Asia, Olivia is a qualified solicitor and has held leadership roles in risk and compliance, legal, operations and strategy at multi-national organisations including hummgroup and S&P.

Ben Anderson

Chief Risk Officer

Ben joined Avanti Finance in 2024, he has extensive banking experience from frontline and risk roles at ANZ and ASB across New Zealand and the Pacific. His expertise includes Operational Risk and Compliance, Financial Risk, and Credit Risk management across retail, small business, and commercial sectors.

Paul Jamieson

Group Treasurer

Paul has worked in banking and financial markets in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK for 20+ years. Paul started his professional career as an Economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, before moving into financial markets in London. He has also worked at Deutsche Bank, UBS, Moody’s, and hummgroup (previously Flexigroup) in a range of analytical and leadership roles. Paul’s specialties are in securitisation/structured finance and treasury. Paul joined in 2019.

Nish Sethi

Group Chief Financial Officer

Nish is a qualified Chartered Accountant with 25+ years’ finance experience working in multinational organisations in New Zealand and overseas. Nish started with PwC in New Zealand before moving to National Australia Bank in UK. Nish held senior finance leadership roles at ASB Bank, then joined Fonterra, becoming CFO of Tip Top Ice Creams. Nish joined in 2021.

Tony Farnell

National Sales Manager

Tony has more than 25 years’ experience in the financial services sector. Prior to joining Branded Financial Services in 2011, he held numerous roles within banking and finance companies operating in Australia and New Zealand. He has extensive experience in captive automotive finance, start-ups, banking, and dealer, broker, and aggregated distribution channels. Tony is passionate about developing strong business relationships and delivering results to our customers and alliance partners.

Katherine Moncay

Credit Manager

Prior to joining BFS in 2012, Katherine gained experience in banking and finance from her time working at Fiserv Solutions, Rabobank, and Macquarie Leasing. Katherine has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney. She’s a dedicated Credit Manager who demonstrates a strong and balanced approach to risk whilst meeting business managers’ and brokers’ expectations

Lisa Climo

Customer Experience Manager

Lisa joined BFS in 2012 and currently oversees our Customer Service and Settlements teams. With a diverse background in finance and aged care, Lisa brings a wealth of experience to her role. She enjoys working with people and solving problems.

Leigh Walker

Wholesale Manager

Leigh joined BFS in 2023, with 20 years’ experience in banking and finance, including roles at St. George, Westpac and Angle Auto Finance. Leigh has a Bachelor of Business from Edith Cowan University and has experience in all aspects of auto finance.