Meet the Team
Doug Naidus
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Doug founded World Business Lenders in 2011. He has over 28 years of business-building and risk management experience in the financial services industry, during which he has focused on the development, structuring, trading, hedging and distribution of financial products on the retail and secondary markets. As Managing Director and Global Head of Residential Lending and Trading with Deutsche Bank, Doug successfully executed and managed business activities on five continents, including high-profile transactions in the United States, Colombia and Saudi Arabia. Prior to this role, Doug served as the Chairman and CEO of MortgageIT, which he founded in 1999, led through a successful IPO on the NYSE, placing it among the 10 largest mortgage banks in the United States, and sold to Deutsche Bank in 2007. Doug also founded and served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IPI Skyscraper, which became the largest mortgage broker in the Northeastern U.S. before its private sale.
Robert Pardes
President
Robert is an attorney and CPA with over 30 years of global experience in commercial/consumer lending and banking. Robert was previously COO of a de novo mortgage banking subsidiary of a Deutsche Bank advisory client in Bogota, Colombia. He has served as Project Manager and consultant for Deutsche Bank’s Global Markets Latin American group, and Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of OceanFirst Bank after it acquired Columbia Equities, where he was President and COO. Robert has served on the Advisory Boards of the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).
Stephanie Hamilton
Managing Director – Chief Administration Officer
Stephanie joined WBL in 2016, and has over 16 years of related corporate experience. Currently, as the Company’s Chief Administration Officer, she champions WBL’s human capital strategies and initiatives, is responsible for identifying and successfully implementing operational improvements and accountability throughout the Company, directs WBL’s internal and external communications, and participates in its investor relations efforts. Prior to joining WBL, Stephanie served as Director of Human Resources for Niche Media Holdings, a regional publishing company.
Andy Occhino
Managing Director – General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Andy joined World Business Lenders in 2011. He is an attorney and a corporate executive with over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. During 2007, Andy joined Deutsche Bank, at the time of its merger with MortgageIT. He served as General Counsel of MortgageIT from 2005 until mid-2008, at which time he became responsible for various business development initiatives in Emerging Markets. Prior to joining MortgageIT, Andy served as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at GreenPoint Financial Corp.; led the employee benefits practice at the law firm of Cullen and Dykman; and was a Tax Manager at Arthur Andersen & Co., the public accounting firm.
Cem Oztreves
Managing Director – Head of Credit
Cem joined the Company in 2012 after receiving a Master of Science in Financial Engineering from Columbia University. Currently, in his capacity as Head of Credit, he manages the underwriting of loans along with credit risk policies and procedures. Also, during his tenure with WBL, Cem has overseen portfolio reporting, systems development and loan operations. Cem completed his undergraduate degree in Systems Engineering at George Washington University.
John Warch
Managing Director – Chief Financial Officer
John is a CPA with over 30 years of experience in both public and private financial institutions. John was previously the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Sachem Capital Corp., a public mortgage real estate investment trust (“REIT”). Before that, John served as the Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Four Springs Capital Trust, a privately-held REIT. He also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of CapLease, Inc. (previously NYSE: LSE), where he was responsible for all aspects of the financial infrastructure of a publicly-held REIT, managed financial and SEC reporting and compliance, oversaw Sarbanes-Oxley 404 compliance, and coordinated audits and reviews with independent accountants. Prior to that, John held various positions in at public and private firms specializing in lending, leasing and financing.
Leonard Howell
Director – Head of Information Technology
Leonard leads World Business Lenders’ Information Technology and Project Management departments. Leonard has over 20 years of related experience in information technology and project management, and holds certifications in PRINCE2, Six Sigma, Scrum and a Master of Science in Information Systems Management. Prior to joining World Business Lenders in 2018, Leonard served in various IT management roles, both within the U.S. and internationally, for Fidessa Corporation and Next Media/Next Online.
Robert DeStefano
Senior Vice President
Robert joined WBL in 2015, bringing over 20 years of commercial lending experience to the firm. Robert is a Sales Manager for WBL’s Wholesale division, responsible for originating new loans through our referral partners and structuring each loan to fit our clients’ needs. During Robert’s career, he held production-focused positions at some of the largest financial firms in the country, including Citigroup and Wells Fargo (Legacy Wachovia), where he originated commercial and industrial loans. Immediately prior to joining WBL, Robert successfully ran his own commercial loan brokerage firm, which provided a wide array of financing options for its clients.
John O’Donaghue
Senior Vice President
John joined World Business Lenders in 2013, bringing over 20 years of sales experience to the firm. He currently manages a growing wholesale team and is responsible for referral partner relations and originations/structuring. Prior to World Business Lenders, John launched and successfully managed his own business from 2005-2012 and, before that, he was the top producer at The Sutherland Group, an inbound/outbound telecom products provider.