Dane Drayton

Metro Finance, an award-winning Australian asset finance lender, has announced the appointment of automotive industry veteran, Dane Drayton, to the newly created position of Head of Dealer.

In this new position, Dane will drive the strategy and execution of Metro’s expanding dealer finance offering.

Dane joins Metro with a wealth of experience in the automotive and finance landscape, having held senior positions with Macquarie Leasing, Nissan Financial Services and Nissan Motor Company. Most recently, Dane was General Manager for Nissan’s OEM business for the Eastern and Northern Regions.

Metro’s CCO, Shaun Purcell, was pleased to have such an experienced leader join the team at a time of significant growth for the business.

“As one of the country’s leading non-bank finance lenders, dealer finance is a key growth area for us, and one that we’re taking very seriously,” Shaun said.

“Dane joins Metro with years of frontline automotive experience, and I’m looking forward to working closely with Dane to further expand our offering in the dealer space and engaging with our dealer partners.”

On his appointment as Head of Dealer, Dane said he was excited to be working with Metro and hit the ground running.

“I’m very lucky to be appointed as Head of Dealer of Metro and getting to join the ranks of such a well-regarded, industry-leading team,” Dane said.

“My priorities are leveraging Metro’s benchmark systems and processes to support dealer partners. Metro has a great reputation for real human customer experience and fast approvals, so my focus will be to ensure that our offering in the marketplace aligns with the needs of dealership teams and alleviating some of the common pressure points they may be experiencing with other lenders.”

In addition to building its dealer finance offering, Metro continues to grow with a range of innovative, flexible products for businesses and individuals, having helped over 120,000 customers with asset finance since its inception in 2011. In its most recent bond sale, Metro achieved its first $1 billion deal, attracting a wide range of local and international investors.

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Before his appointment as CCO, Shaun was Metro’s Head of Sales and has been with the company for over a decade.

Metro’s CEO, David Albest, was pleased to see Shaun step into the newly created role at a time when the Metro business is experiencing a period of rapid growth.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shaun for over 10 years, and the executive team and I are thrilled to have Shaun step into this important new role to drive the Metro business forward,” David said.

“Metro’s customer-base and the range of products we offer is constantly expanding, and it is in no small part thanks to the hard work of Shaun and his team.”

In his new role as Metro’s CCO, Shaun brings over 22 years of banking and finance experience, including over 10 spent with Metro. As Metro’s Head of Sales, Shaun has played a pivotal role in shaping the national sales strategy and culture. His strong leadership, deep industry knowledge, and unwavering commitment to supporting Metro’s introducers have been instrumental in driving the business’s continued growth.

On his appointment as CCO, Shaun expressed excitement about stepping into the newly created role, while remaining keen to continue driving business growth.

“I’d like to thank David and the Metro business and I’m committed to leveraging my experience to support our brokers and expand Metro’s reach in the market,” Shaun said.

“During my tenure with Metro, the business has expanded exponentially to become one of Australia’s most innovative non-bank lenders. As CCO I’m looking forward to further developing our commercial strategy in partnership with the executive team, our amazing Metro team members and national broker network.”

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Jessica Clarke

Metro Finance, one of Australia’s leading independent non-bank lenders for asset finance, has expanded its popular MetroEco product, which offers discounted rates and flexible terms on a range of environmentally-focused assets, to include a further selection of sustainable technologies.

Unveiled earlier this year, MetroEco is an Australian-first designed to make it easier and more affordable for small-medium enterprises (SME) to invest in environmentally-friendly assets, such as electric vehicles, farming equipment, solar panels and charging solutions. The latest expansion now also includes electric trucks and forklifts – signifying the continued evolution of SMEs and their tools of trade.

MetroEco Business Development Manager, Jessica Clarke, explained that it was important for Metro to support industry adoption of more sustainable technologies.

“Transitioning business operations to a more sustainable model is a priority for many of customers, but in many instances it remains cost-prohibitive,” Jessica says.

“Metro has taken an industry leadership position with MetroEco, and it is our hope to support customers in making that positive step for the good of their business, and the community as a whole,” she continued.

The inclusion of e-trucks and forklifts means that these pieces of equipment now attract a 1 per cent discount on finance from Metro, in keeping with other assets under MetroEco.

Despite the end of local manufacturing in the car sector in the last decade, trucks continue to be built in Australia, which will increasingly include locally-assembled e-trucks.

Metro Finance CEO, David Albest, said that MetroEco’s expanded range of viable assets within the product signified an ongoing shift from businesses to utilise more sustainable methods of transport.

“From being free of night time noise restrictions to deliver off-peak in built-up areas to simply having a predominantly cheaper back-to-base refuelling option, the benefits of electrification in trucking are many,” David said.

“Reducing financial barriers to customers will definitely support the continued uptake of this crucial technology,” they continued.

As part of its commitment to support customers on its sustainable journey, Metro has also collaborated with Green Fleet, a leading not-for-profit environmental organisation dedicated to protecting the climate by restoring forests, and with Trace, a climate technology company founded in Australia with a mission to simplify the process for businesses to assess their environmental impact.

The Metro business continues to go from strength to strength, with a range of innovative, flexible products for business and consumers. Metro works with a national network of introducers to provide a range of customer-led financial solutions including commercial and personal asset finance and novated leasing.

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