Quick Facts
Biography
Gregory Kevin (Greg) O'Neill (born 28 May 1962) is an Australian businessman and the current President & CEO of La Trobe Financial, one of Australia's leading bank independent credit specialists. In 2011, O'Neill was nominated by Rainmaker Group as the 2011 Wealth Management Executive of the year.
O'Neill has worked at La Trobe Financial since 1985 and assumed the position of CEO after a twelve year apprenticeship in May 1997, succeeding his father Mr Ray O'Neill who founded the company in 1952.
Early life, education and personal life
Greg O'Neill, born the youngest of five children, grew up in the Gippsland countryside. Siblings include Dr D'arne O'Neill, Carolyn Margaret Fickler B.Nursing, Prof Phillip Raymond O'Neill BA Hons (Melb), M.A.(Melb), PhD (NYU) (dec. July 2013) and Margot O'Neill BA Hons (Melb), Fellowship (Oxf), Senior Investigative Journalist: Lateline ABC, dual Walkley Award Winner, UN Media Peace Award, published author of Blind Conscience (UNSW Press).
O’Neill completed a Bachelor of Economics & Econometrics at Monash University (1982), and in 2000 completed Securities Institute of Australia (SIA) Certificate of "Financial Planning – Principles & Practice".
O’Neill married Catherine (Katie) Allen in 1992; they have five children: Grace, Gina, Brigitte, Robbie & Lucy.
Professional career
In 1983 O'Neill joined the US based IT Company NCR Limited as an Account Manager. Thereafter he was appointed Trainee company secretary at Security Permanent Building Society in Melbourne then owned by Advance Bank of Australia Limited, before joining La Trobe Financial in 1985.
In 1990 he was appointed, by the Attorney General Jan Wade, to a government Advisory Committee on housing policy.
During the period 1992 – 2002 O’Neill was a member of the International Committee of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBAA).
1998 saw O’Neill placed on the Finance experts Register at the Australian Institute of Banking and Finance (AIBF).
Chairman (2006–2009) of the Melbourne Tigers Basketball Club Limited when the club appeared in all four finals of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) winning two National Championships.
And in 2011 he was nominated as the 2011 Wealth Management Executive of the Year by Rainmaker.
2012 Nominated by Ernst & Young as Australian Entrepreneur of the Year, and contributor to Deloitte Access Economics Paper Domestic Fixed Income Assets in Australia (16 October 2012)
2013, 2014 & 2015 recognised by Financial Standard as one of the 50 most influential social media users in finance #gregceo in the FSPOWER50 rankings.
2015 & 2016 London Award recipient for Best Investment Management Company
2016 Winner of Financial Services CEO of the Year by CEO Magazine Australia
Present
After joining La Trobe Financial (founded by his late father Ray – author of Starting your own business, Job Fever) Greg has overseen a modernisation and corporatisation of the business into one of Australia's most respected independent bank brands. O'Neill was appointed CEO on 31 May 1997.
O'Neill is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and a Senior Fellow (Life) of Financial Services Institute of Australia (Finsia).
La Trobe Financial, established 1952, is a bank independent credit specialist having managed over $12billion of investment mandates, and expanding into the International market after the opening of a Shanghai Office in 2008.
The company is recognised as a leading innovator in both product and service offerings in the credit markets in Australia. For the last eight consecutive years, La Trobe Financial has been voted Australia's Best Mortgage Fund by Money magazine, and recently Awarded two international Funds Management Awards from IAIR in Hong Kong, and picked up the international award in London for Best Investment Management Company Australia