Lara Paholski and Blake Albones take on the newly minted roles of group CEO and CSO
Galilee Solicitors has appointed Lara Paholski as its inaugural group CEO and Blake Albones as its first CSO as part of its new executive leadership structure.
According to outgoing managing partner Simon Duke, the new structure “reflects the group’s decision to unify Galilee’s companies under one umbrella to deliver greater efficiencies and a dynamic, centralised leadership team”.
“The investments we’ve made in building proprietary technology solutions to help our clients stay ahead are absolutely the right investments. But while the technology continues to accelerate and with it the expectations of customers, the critical success factor is unchanged: building deep client trust and alignment”, he explained.
For Paholski, this is an extension of her present position as CEO of thelawstore.com.au, which is under the ownership of Galilee Solicitors. Duke confirmed that in her new role, Paholski will “be responsible for driving growth, leveraging the synergies that come from the group’s complementary offerings in mortgage fulfilment, digital mortgage software, and biometric signing”.
In her tenure with Galilee-owned companies, she has spearheaded the development and go-to-market strategy of the biometric signing solution Livesign.
“To have the opportunity to lead the Galilee Group is incredibly exciting, and I’m looking forward to leading the passionate and dedicated team and building on the strong foundations already paved by the directors and leadership teams”, Paholski said. “We’ve got over 100 hardworking individuals across the country, delivering superior solutions and customer service to some of Australia’s leading businesses, and I look forward to working with each of them to maintain and grow the high standards they set for the industry”.
Meanwhile, Albones joins Galilee Solicitors from MyState Bank, where he was head of lending distribution.
“It’s no secret that we’re in challenging times in the financial industry, a sentiment that echoes across the other industries we service – legal, conveyancing and real estate. So I’ll be working hard to get to the bottom of what each sector needs to remain competitive, and how Galilee can support them to get there”, he said.
On vacating the managing partner post, Duke is set to transition to a role as executive director.
