Appointments mark next phase in conveyancing platform's expansion
PEXA Group has confirmed that Krystle Kocik (pictured top left) and Simon Wright (pictured top right) will take up the roles of co-chief executive officers at PEXA UK from today, 1 July, succeeding former chief executive Joe Pepper.
The dual leadership arrangement is intended to combine the two executives' respective backgrounds as PEXA works to expand its presence in the UK property market.
Pepper's exit follows a period in which PEXA UK reached a number of milestones during what the company has described as a critical phase of establishing its operations in the country.
PEXA Group chief executive Russell Cohen (pictured right) said the revised leadership arrangement would strengthen the firm's ability to pursue its UK expansion plans and support customer outcomes.
“I am delighted to announce the appointments of Krystle Kocik and Simon Wright as co-CEOs of PEXA UK,” Cohen said. “Together, Krystle and Simon have significant experience at PEXA, as well as a wealth of experience and knowledge of the UK financial system.
“They bring a deep understanding of PEXA’s value proposition, the UK lending market, as well as complementary skill sets that will underpin both conveyancer and lender adoption.
“On behalf of everyone at PEXA, I would also like to thank Joe for his contribution to PEXA UK at a crucial time for the business. Joe has helped lay strong foundations for our UK operations and has been a passionate advocate for the modernisation of the property market. We wish him every success for the future.”
Pepper (pictured right) also reflected on his time with the business ahead of his departure. “It has been a privilege to work alongside the UK housing market over the past two and a half years, demonstrating the value that the adoption of an electronic conveyancing platform such as PEXA can deliver in enhancing the property transaction process for all parties.” he said.
“I have every confidence in PEXA’s UK team to build upon the foundations established over this period, and I look forward to seeing the pace of adoption continue to accelerate in the years ahead.”
Kocik has been with PEXA UK since 2021 and previously spent a decade contributing to the rollout and uptake of PEXA's platform in Australia, beginning in 2011. Prior to her new appointment, she served as group chief product officer and sat on the firm's group executive committee.
Within the UK operation, Kocik has overseen the full design and rollout of the PEXA platform, leading efforts to tailor and modernise the system to suit the requirements of UK conveyancers.
Her work underpinned PEXA's integration with the Bank of England, described as a significant step in the company's development. Kocik also headed the team behind NatWest's rollout of remortgage transactions on the platform, delivered three months ahead of the original timeline. She brings close to two decades of experience in product development and digital transformation within property technology and financial services, spanning both the Australian and UK markets.
Wright joined PEXA in 2021 as UK chief operating officer, bringing nearly three decades of financial services experience across strategy, operations, retail banking and business transformation. During his time with the firm, he oversaw the integration of Optima Legal and Smoove into the PEXA Group and led initiatives to improve service delivery and operational efficiency across the UK arm of the business.
He also oversaw the merger of Optima Legal's operations with the PEXA UK platform, work that contributed to outcomes including NatWest completing its first remortgage transaction via PEXA within two working days of an offer being made.
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