La Trobe Financial

La Trobe Financial

Company type	Private Limited
Industry	Alternative Asset Management Financial services
Founded	6 August 1952
Headquarters	333 Collins Street, Melbourne , Australia
Number of locations	Sydney, Melbourne
Key people	Chris Andrews (Chief Executive Officer) Rowan Donohoue (Chief Operating and Business Officer) Rob Clough (Chief Business Officer) Martin Barry (Chief Financial Officer) Cory Bannister (Chief Lending Officer) Chris Paton (Chief Investment Officer) Trevor Cloete (Chief Technology Officer) Annie Sestito (Chief People and Marketing Officer) Jacki Jennings (Chief Customer Officer)
Products	Real Estate Credit Asset Management Retirement Income
AUM	A$20 billion (2025)
Owners	Brookfield Asset Management
Number of employees	550
Divisions	Real Estate Credit Finance (RECF) Asset Management (AM) People & Marketing Finance Tech-Ops Risk & Governance
Website	www.latrobefinancial.com

La Trobe Financial is Australia's premier alternative asset manager specialising in real estate credit retirement-focused income solutions and asset management. With over A$20 billion in assets under management (AUM) and a track record spanning more than 70 years, the firm serves institutional, wholesale and retail investors through a diverse range of investment offerings and lending products. La Trobe Financial is headquartered in Melbourne, with secondary corporate office in Sydney. The current CEO is Mr. Chris Andrews.

Overview

Founded in 1952, La Trobe Financial has established a reputation for providing low-volatility retirement-focused investment solutions which perform across the economic cycle. The company is committed to delivering alternative income strategies for global investors, with a focus on capital preservation and consistent risk-adjusted returns.

The firm specialises in Australian real estate private credit and delivers a suite of innovative lending solutions to high-quality borrowers largely underserved by banks.

Operations

The company operates through two core entities: La Trobe Financial Services an unlisted proprietary (private) company, holder of Australian Credit Licence "ACL" 392385, responsible for group credit asset administration and servicing, third party outsourcing services, custody services, group insurance sales, and wholesale institutional funding mandates. The second core operational entity is La Trobe Financial Asset Management a public (unlisted) company and holder of Australian Financial Services Licence "AFSL" 222213, responsible for all retail and other investments in the La Trobe Australian Credit Fund and Asset Management operation.

Asset Management

La Trobe Financial manages a comprehensive investment platform, including: Australian Real Estate Private Credit Offerings (including the 12 Month Term Account - Australia's largest retail private credit offering, Classic Notice, 90 day Notice and 6 Month Notice Accounts, 2 Year, 4 Year and Select Investments.)
Peer-to-peer (P2P) investment offerings
US corporate private credit
ASX-listed Private Credit Fund (ASX:LF1)

The La Trobe Australian Credit Fund holds C.A$13.5 billion (2025) and is one of Australia's most diversified real estate private credit platforms.

Private Wealth

Through bespoke strategies, La Trobe Financial provides retirement-focused income solutions, wealth preservation and credit-based investments designed for high net worth individuals and SMSF investors.

Real Estate Private Credit

The firm provides tailored real estate private credit solutions in:
Residential Mortgages (prime, near prime, specialist)
Commercial Property Loans
Construction Finance

As of February 2025, loan portfolio distribution included:
15% Super Prime Residential
23% Prime Mortgages
49% Near-Prime Commercial & Residential
9% Specialist Residential

Average loan-to-value ration(LVR) 64.1%

Strategic Partnerships

La Trobe Financial has collaborated with
* Blackstone Group (2017 - 2022): Acquired majority interest in strategic expansion
* Brookfield Asset Management (2022-present): Current global owner
* Australian Big 4 Banks, regional and international institutional mandates (ranging from A$500M to A$1.25B).

Key dates and Milestones

* 1952 Established by Kel O'Mullane and Ray O'Neil as a specialist lender
* 1990 Introduced Australia's first "Lite Doc" alternative verification loan for self-employed borrowers
* 2001 Appointed by ASIC to assume operations of a failing national provider
* 2014 First entry into global debt capital markets via RMBS
* Blackstone acquired 80% equity stake
* Brookfield acquired La Trobe Financial, Chris Andrews appointed as new CEO
* 2024 Launched La Trobe Global Asset Management, US Private Credit and received Climate Active certification
* 2025 Listed a Private Credit Fund on the ASX - La Trobe Private Credit Fund (ASX:LF1)

Awards and Recognition

• Money Magazine - Australia's Best Private Credit Fund (16 years) & Non-Bank Lender of the Year (4 years)
• International Finance Magazine - Best Wealth Management Company Australia (10 years)
• Capital Finance International - Best Investment Management Team (5 years)
• The Australian - One of Australia's Best Places to Work (2024)
• MPA Top Mortgage Employer (4 years)
• Climate Active - Certified Carbon Neutral (2023 & 2024)
• Foresight Analytics (ratings)
• Zenith Investment Partners (ratings)
• Lonsec Research (ratings)
• SQM Research (ratings)

Previous Chief Executives

• Kelvin David O’Mullane 1952–1972 (20 years) service 30 years
• Raymond Kevin O’Neill 1972–1997 (25 years) service 45 years
• Gregory Kevin O’Neill OAM 1997-2022(25 years) service 37 years

Previous Chairman

• Mr. Kelvin O'Mullane 1952–1961 (9 years)
• Mr. Donald Cooper OA 1961–1972 (11 years)
• Mr. Pat O'Brien 1972–1980 (8 years)
• Mr. John Barton 1980–1984 (4 years)
• Mr. John Dack DFC 1984–1986 (2 years)
• Mr. Bertram Wilson 1986–1997 (11 years)
• Mr. Raymond O'Neill 1997–2007 (10 years)
• Mr. Perce Cooper 2007–2010 (3 years)
• Mr. David Bird 2010–2015 (5 years)
• Mr. John Marriott 2015-2024 (9 years)
• Mr. Len Chersky 2024 - current