Evans joins Woodbridge from Metrics Credit Partners and has over two decades of experience in property finance, including senior leadership roles at other major institutions, including Pepper Money and JLL.
His appointment accelerates the Melbourne-based investment manager and non-bank lender’s national expansion, with Evans to be based in the firm’s newly opened Sydney CBD office on Bligh Street.
The move also reflects the firm’s strategic focus on Sydney as a key growth market and its commitment to providing capital solutions to local developers.
As managing director and CIO of Woodbridge, Andrew Torrington explained, Sydney borrowers want partners who “understand the market, move quickly and deliver with certainty”.
“With Ben now leading our group origination efforts, we’re positioned to do significantly more deals in the city, and to do them well,” he said.
Torrington emphasised Evans’ deep market expertise and strong borrower relationships as the basis for his appointment.
“Ben is a dealmaker in every sense – highly respected, deeply connected and focused on delivering for borrowers,” he said.
In particular, he noted Evans’ experience in originating and structuring some of the country’s most complex real estate transactions.
“His appointment marks a step change in our origination capability and we’re excited about what we’ll achieve together.”
Commenting on his new role, Evans said he is “excited” to be joining Woodbridge at this stage in its journey.
“Heading up the origination team provides a fantastic opportunity to build on the firm’s strong foundations, foster deep relationships with borrowers and developers, and contribute to the continued expansion of Woodbridge in the private credit space,” he said.
He added that Woodbridge’s reputation for “transparency, speed and disciplined lending” in the evolving private credit market attracted him to the role.
“I’ve been impressed by Woodbridge’s commitment to think out of the box and their commitment to be fully transparent with borrowers without hiding fees or terms.
“In addition, Woodbridge has a flat structure allowing me to focus on providing fast service and good deals to clients,” he told InvestorDaily.
The firm has been a vocal advocate of stricter regulations aimed at enhancing the transparency of private credit funds.
Evans further noted the importance of providing borrowers with clarity regarding deliverable timelines in commercial real estate transactions, given the need for alignment among numerous stakeholders.
“The debt is a significant component and providing clarity is the best way for the deal to close and build long-term trusted relationships,” Evans said.
Along with the new Sydney location and team expansion, a refreshed website will also be launched, with the aim of offering better functionality for both investors and borrowers.
