The appointment follows Giffin’s stint as deputy CEO of the firm since January, after joining Centuria Bass in mid-2024. In his new capacity, Giffin will also serve as a member of the investment committee.
Giffin played professional rugby for nine years, including a period as vice-captain of the national Wallabies team. He was a member of the team that won the Rugby World Cup in 1999 against France and was runner-up in the 2003 final against England.
After leaving professional sports, he co-founded Taurus Motor Finance, an auto finance company later acquired by Metrics Credit Partners. He also gained experience in capital raising, structuring and credit risk while working at CBA and Grant Samuel.
Alternative asset manager Centuria Bass Credit was set up in 2021 as a joint venture between Bass Capital Partners and Centuria Capital Group to provide real estate funding solutions.
Across its Sydney, Melbourne and Manila offices, the firm is focused on mid-market, first mortgage loans weighted to the residential sector predominantly financing development projects, bridging finance and residential stock.
Along with Giffin’s promotion, Gottlieb has been promoted to deputy chief executive officer, while co-founders and incumbent joint CEOs Giles Borten and Nicholas Goh will continue as executive directors. They will also continue to serve on the investment committee, focusing on business expansion.
Melbourne-based Gottlieb joined Centuria Bass in early 2020 as managing director of funds and distribution.
Prior to Centuria Bass, he was responsible for managing a private portfolio of investments for the Fried/Fraid families, owners and operators of the Spotlight and Anaconda retail brands, with investments ranging across multiple asset classes including real estate, listed equities, private equity and venture capital.
He has also held various roles focusing on investment management, private equity, corporate advisory (mergers and acquisitions and ECM) and corporate strategy.
Commenting on the leadership changes, Centuria Capital Group joint CEOs John McBain and Jason Huljich said the transition has been in the works for some time.
“Passing the baton to David and Yehuda not only retains business legacy but enables Centuria Bass to scale and harness tailwinds across the Australian and New Zealand middle market real estate finance sector.
“For our investors and borrowers, the leadership change won’t impact our funds or lending terms – it will be business as usual,” they said.
The changes make up part of Centuria Bass’ ongoing growth strategy, which includes plans for expansion via a listed investment trust (LIT), retail credit products and increased institutional investment.
While Centuria Capital Group currently retains an 80 per cent ownership of Centuria Bass, it is anticipated to escalate its ownership to 100 per cent next year.
Already during this financial year, Centuria Bass has doubled its institutional capital to $200 million. Meanwhile, as of 30 June 2025, Centuria Bass grew its assets under management 21 per cent year-on-year to $2.3 billion.
Since partnering with Centuria in 2021, Borten and Goh stated that their loan book has experienced “almost nine times” growth, and they are “just getting started”.
“We’ve made no secret of our plans to further expand our institutional capital base and we also have our sights set on a LIT and further retail products.
“For over a year, David has taken the reins across private lending origination and loan management while Yehuda has continued to expand our distribution network and funds management platform,” they said.
The pair concluded that they have “every confidence” in Giffin and Gottlieb to continue the growth of the business.
