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We’re your purple people.

Three men from Purple Circle Financial Services Team sitting on stairs in front of a stair rail.

And what a good-looking bunch we are

(if we may say so ourselves).

Welcome to Purple Circle Financial Services!

Hey, we’re so glad you’re here. Before we knuckle-down and provide everything you need to run a kick-ass broking business, we’re keen to digitally introduce ourselves. 

We’re a down-to-earth bunch of people driven by relationships, generosity and good old fashioned hard work. We’re serious about business — but never ourselves — enjoy a good laugh, and reckon we’re pretty easy to work with. Keep reading to learn more about our strengths and the expertise Purple Circle Financial Services has to offer.

Greg Pennells Chairman from Purple Circle Financial Services

This is

Greg.

Greg Pennells

Chairman

As our superstar Chairman, Greg is good with money and great with people. Purple Circle was his “big idea” and it turned out to be a pretty good one, so a bunch of other people jumped on board too.

Bringing invaluable experience from the financial services industry, he’s keen to offer our members unmatched value and pass on his knowledge. Greg’s successes here include co-founding Choice Home Loans and Choice Aggregation Services as well as Wealth Today, Australia’s largest independent financial planning group.

Fun facts

golf tragic
born & raised in South Africa
father of two
guitarist & sketcher
camper & swimmer
Michael Stephens director from Purple Circle Financial Services

Say hello to

Michael.

Michael Stephens

Director

Purple Circle may have been Greg’s brain-child, but Michael is the one who pulls it all together. With entrepreneurial flair and strong management skills, he brings more than 20 years experience in both the Financial Services and Property industries. Michael has run businesses in multiple countries, and that international experience and perspective is like gold to the leadership team.

Fun facts

born & raised in South Africa
family man
sailor
beer enthusiast
Frank Paratore director from Purple Circle Financial Services

Meet

Frank.

Frank Paratore

Director

Frank keeps us afloat by overseeing our everyday operations. This strategic thinker has been involved in the Financial Services Industry for nearly 30 years, half of which has been at CEO and General Management levels (that’s pretty high). As an accomplished and motivated Senior Manager, Frank has experience across all facets of distribution, revenue creation and diversification within the aggregation and broader financial services industry.

Backed by a Bachelor of Business Degree with a double major in Marketing and Management and a Diploma of Financial Services in Finance/Mortgage Broking, Frank keeps us and our members fiscally fit.

Fun facts

AFL fanatic
enjoys a nice ribeye steak
malt scotch whiskey fan
Aussie born, Italian made
Tracy McMahon from Purple People

Wave to

Tracy.

Tracy McMahon

Head of Broker Relations

If our members could talk (which they can), they’d tell you they love Tracy (which they do). Starting her finance career in 2007, Tracy gained experience working under another broker until she eventually became a broker and business owner herself. She brings a diverse career history to the team with expertise in Real Estate, Hospitality, as well as Counselling.  

At Purple Circle, Tracy makes sure our members have a smooth broking experience, packed with all the resources and information needed to succeed. She’s a natural encourager, morale-booster, and can put a positive spin on just about anything.

Fun facts

proud mum
loves unplanned road trips
beach-goer
will randomly burst into song
Tahlia Eren - Purple People

Tip your hat to

Tahlia.

Tahlia Eren

Growth Coordinator

Tahlia has worked in the finance industry for over 10 years. During that time she has worked as a receptionist, executive assistant, marketing coordinator and even dipped her toe into the world of a mortgage broker after completing her Cert IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking in 2021.

This wide range of experience gives Tahlia the ability to relate to and better understand our members needs, by having seen how things work from their point of view.

Tahlia is passionate and enthusiastic and thrives on helping our members reach their career goals and full potential. 

Fun facts

online shopping extraordinaire
animal lover
adventurous & a little impulsive
Naecel Dela Rosa - Purple People

Say G'day to

Naecel.

Naecel Dela Rosa

Senior Commissions & Accounts Officer

Amongst other tasks Naecel arguably has the most important job of all… ensuring our members’ commissions are accurately processed and paid on time! She also tends to our accounts — another time-sensitive task. As such, Naecel is an exceptional multitasker, with impeccable time management and people skills. She puts her maths brain to work every day by monitoring key statistical data pertaining to our members as well as our broader company.

Naecel brings years of experience in the Australian Finance Industry, as well as knowledge and expertise in the Accounting field. Bolstered by a Master’s Degree, she’s a great team player, a critical-thinker with high attention-to-detail, and always shows grace under pressure.

Fun facts

nature-lover and loves travelling
loves reading and watching KDramas
BTS Fan
Bill Elmer from Purple Circle

Introducing

Bill.

Bill Elmer

Purple Pathways Member Support 

Bill has worked in the finance industry for over eight years, and that experience is backed by a Cert IV and Diploma in Finance, as well as membership with the MFAA. He’s been a member of the Sydney Hills Chamber of Commerce for the past 15 years, where he has served on the board on multiple occasions. Bill has also served on the board for the Western Sydney Academy of Sport; a charity that provides scholarships for upcoming Australian sports stars. 

Since starting his career, Bill has helped many families fulfill their dream of being able to buy that dream home or buy their first investment property. He brings a genuine enthusiasm to his role, and is passionate about supporting new members. A team player, Bill is always extending a helping hand to other staff wherever he can.  

Fun facts

NRL fan (Go Wests Tigers!)
loves test cricket
supports the Wanderers in the A League
raced pigeons in his early years
married for 31 Years, has three children & three grandies.
Monica Angel Sebastian from Purple Circle

We’re glad to have

Monica.

Monica Angel Sebastian

Commissions & Accounts Officer

Monica brings experience in General Accounting with a demonstrated history of working remotely. She’s skilled when it comes to accounting software, accounts reconciliation, and end-to-end bookkeeping, making her an asset to the team. With exceptional attention to detail, Monica adapts a no-stone-left-unturned approach to her work. She mainly supports Purple Circle with accurate prep and data entry for payroll, BAS, super, and heaps more.  

Of course, Monica is naturally financially-savvy and always looking for ways to save money without compromising our business operations or customer value.  

Fun facts

old soul
minimalist
adventurous
loves listening to music and podcasts

Look! It's...

Leanne.

Leanne Charters

Member Support  & Compliance Officer

With a 20 year career in financial services, Leanne brings a wealth of knowledge to the Purple Circle team. Her experience includes banking, paraplanning, advice coaching, and compliance, giving her the perfect blend of skills for her role.

Leanne has also been a key member of a compliance remediation team, an auditor of financial advice, and a compliance manager of an AFSL. Her analytical mind, resourcefulness, and common-sense approach ensures stuff gets done (the right way!). Approachable and reliable, Leanne is someone you want in your corner.

Fun facts

plays netball
proud mum
will dance at the drop of a hat

Get to know

Anke.

Anke Opperman

Marketing & Communications Officer

Anke has a rich and diverse background, including over a decade in education, where she taught at Cambridge schools like Alma Mater International and Ruimsig Academy. Currently, Anke is part of the managing team of the Dart Foundation — a nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering and equipping under-resourced and unemployed South African communities.

Transitioning into marketing four years ago, Anke brings her unique millennial perspective to Purple Circle. Highly adaptable, she specialises in social media marketing, video editing, photography, design, and content creation with a knack for making content fun and relatable. Her training includes a BEd in Foundation Phase and multiple courses in Social Media Marketing, media, and content creation from UCT.

Fun facts

CrossFit enthusiast & L1 CrossFit certified
choir lead vocalist
Loudmouth
Lover of life, art, and theatre
Believes pineapple belongs on pizza
Katherine Rupac from Purple Circle

Shake hands with

Katherine.

Katherine Rupac

Administration & Broker Support

Katherine has worked in the BPO industry for more than 10 years with experience in administration, back office, customer service, and broker review for compliance.  

As a paperwork junkie, Katherine analyses loan applications and supporting evidence, ensuring we adhere to legislation as well as internal policies and procedures. She also actively contributes to effective and consistent audit practices for positive outcomes. Katherine is always up for team building and loves professional development activities that improve team cohesion and general businesses operations.  

With strong foundations in Australian mortgage knowledge, Australian regulatory, Financial and Risk Context for back-office services, we’re lucky to have Katherine on our side! 

Fun facts

professional coffee-drinker
loves a bit of Kdrama
proud mum
Purple Circle Financial Services

“Having worked with numerous technology and software platforms in the past, I find Salestrekker far superior to anything I have used before."

“It also has great functionality in regard to providing clients with reports and makes the compliance side of things a breeze. I can’t recommend the platform highly enough.”

Jeff Morris

Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Guarantee Scheme


The Scheme will enhance lenders’ willingness and ability to provide credit and will be available for new loans made by participating lenders until 30 September 2020.

The Government will provide eligible lenders with a guarantee of 50% per cent of new loans. Some generic terms are:

  • Businesses with a turnover of up to $50 million.

  • Maximum total size of loans of $250,000 per borrower.

  • Loans will be up to three years, with an initial six month repayment holiday.

  • Unsecured finance, meaning that borrowers will not have to provide an asset as security for the loan.

Reduced Interest Rates


Consider your current banking arrangements. The Reserve Bank has recently reduce the cash rate and lenders have passed this on to various loans they have.

Instant Asset Write Off


An increase in the instant asset write-off threshold from $30,000 to $150,000 30 June 2020.

Deferment of Loan Repayments for up to 6 Months


The banks are developing their own approach as to how to deal with requests from their clients for repayment holidays. Some are automatically granting the request, others are assessing the requests individually.