Bendigo and Adelaide Bank makes dual executive appointments to “support the next phase” of its growth strategy, ART farewells long-serving tech heads, and Insurtech Australia welcomes new additions to board.
Executive
◼️ Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has announced the dual executive appointments of Fiona Thompson (pictured), Bendigo’s new Chief People Officer and Kerrie Noonan as Chief Risk Officer.
Thompson joins Bendigo after a more than two-decade career at Suncorp, most recently leading the Group’s People, Culture and Advocacy function over the last three years.
She joined Suncorp back in 2001, appointed as Deputy General Counsel before moving on to senior risk roles, including as Group Chief Risk Officer.
Bendigo recognised Thompson’s extensive financial services experience and “depth of expertise across all people and culture functions, risk, customer advocacy and legal and compliance”.
Noonan, meanwhile, joins Bendigo from IAG, most recently serving as the insurer’s Chief Risk Officer, Retail Insurance Australia.
Prior to this, she spent 11 years at NAB, most recently as Executive of Business Lending Product, Business & Private Bank. Moving to Australia from the UK, she previously held senior roles at banking giant Lloyds.
Bendigo noted Noonan’s extensive banking and finance industry experience in Australia and the UK.
Bendigo chief executive and managing director Richard Fennell expressed his “delight” with the appointments, whom he said will “support the continued uplift of our processes and frameworks”.
“This will help us as we continue to accelerate our digital capability, deliver improved experiences and deeper relationships with our customers.”
Thompson will commence with Bendigo on 2 December 2024, while Noonan begins in the new year.
◼️ The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has appointed Leanne McDougall as Interim Chief Risk Officer.
McDougall steps in for Hamish Treleaven, who previously announced his plans to retire in September this year.
As Interim CRO, McDougall reports directly to ASX Chief Executive Helen Lofthouse.
Boasting more than 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector across Australia and the US, McDougall most recently served as CRO at Suncorp Bank, overseeing risk across the bank’s governance and management.
She was Director of Suncorp’s subsidiary SME management and Chair of the Suncorp Metway Advances Corporation. Before joining Suncorp, McDougall held senior and executive roles in risk management at NAB and CBA.
The ASX recognised McDougall’s deep expertise in non-financial and financial risk and proven track record in regulatory engagement programs and risk culture change.
Commenting on the appointment, CEO Helen Lofthouse noted McDougall “deep skills and experience across all risk management asset classes and has a strong background in operational risk within the financial services sector”.
Lofthouse added: “This appointment will support our ongoing work to strengthen and improve risk culture at ASX which is a key focus of our New Era strategy.”
◼️ Australian Retirement Trust has bid farewell to Chief Technology Officer Rod Greenaway and Head of Data and Integration Brendan D’Souza.
Greenaway had served with ART for just under three years, shifting across from Sunsuper (prior to its merger with QSuper to form ART) where he held the same role. He earlier held senior technology roles Macquarie Group, ING, Commonwealth Bank and the NSW Government.
D’Souza, who had served with ART since the merger in early 2022, moved from QSuper where he was Head of IT Architecture for over four years.
He previously served a decade with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, most recently as Director for Strategy and Architecture.
ART Chief Operating Officer Kathy Vincent thanked the outgoing pair for their contributions to the fund.
◼️ Legalsuper has appointed Victoria Ngo as Head of Data and Insights.
Ngo joins after a more than 12-year tenure at Vanguard Australia, most recently as Head of Customer Insights and Analytics.
Commenting on the appointment via LinkedIn, legalsuper said: “With over 20 years of industry experience in the banking and wealth sector, Tori brings an exceptional depth of expertise in project leadership, building analytics capabilities, and driving customer research, strategy, and growth.
“Her passion for harnessing the power of data to create meaningful member experiences and support legalsuper’s growth ambitions is a key asset.
“We’re thrilled to have Tori on board.”
◼️ Latitude Group has appointed Stefano Tognon as Interim Chief Financial Officer and Executive General Manager, Finance.
Tognon will replace current CFO Paul Varro who in May this year announced his decision to depart the firm by December 2024. Varro served more than 16 years with Latitude and its predecessors.
Tognon steps up from his current role as Latitude’s Group Treasurer & Group General Manager, Corporate Development, which he has held since November 2023.
He joined Latitude in March 2022 to lead Head of Corporate Strategy and Development.
Prior to joining Latitude, Tognon served around 15 years at J.P. Morgan Investment Bank, with roles advising financial institutions on corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt capital markets and structured finance.
Latitude confirmed in a statement that it is continuing a “comprehensive search for a permanent CFO”.
Tognon commences his new role in the new year.
◼️ Teachers Mutual Bank (TMB) has appointed Jenny O’Neill as Chief Legal Officer.
O’Neill joins after a nearly two-decade tenure with Hollard Insurance. She held a number of senior leadership and executive roles at the insurer, including General Counsel, Chief People and Legal Officer, and Chief Legal and Governance Officer.
O’Neill, an experienced legal executive, was recognised by TMB for “driving customer and commercial success in financial services”.
TMB Limited CEO Anthony Hughes welcomed O’Neill, noting her passion for “customers, purpose and people”.
“Her previous executive experience will be valuable to us, especially during this period of transformation within our bank.”
Board
◼️ Judo Bank has appointed financial services industry veteran Brad Cooper to its board.
Cooper, who has notched up more than 20 years in chief executive roles, began his more than decade-long tenure with Westpac Group in 2007.
His most recent executive role with the Group was as CEO of its wealth management arm BT Financial, serving more than nine years in the role.
Prior to joining BT, Cooper was Westpac’s chief transformation officer, responsible for overseeing the planning and integration of St.George Bank’s merger with Westpac Group.
He currently holds a board role at the ASX-listed debt buyer and consumer credit firm Credit Corp Group, including as member of its Audit & Risk Committee and Remuneration & HR Committee.
Judo recognised Cooper’s “proven track record in scaling businesses and improving operational efficiencies, and a deep understanding of the strategic and operational leadership, risk management and corporate governance.
Judo chair Peter Hodgson welcomed Cooper as a “highly experienced and transformative executive”.
“[The] board will benefit from the depth of banking expertise he will bring to his role as non-executive director of Judo.”
Cooper will commence his new role with Judo on 16 December.
◼️ Resimac Group has welcomed a new Chair with “immediate effect”, with the lender appointing Wayne Spanner at its recent Annual General Meeting.
Spanner replaces Warren McLeland who stepped down as Chair at the conclusion of his term.
McLeland, however, will remain on the board as the Deputy Chair.
Spanner has served on Resimac board since 2020 as a Non-Executive Director and is current Chair of the board’s remuneration and nominations committee.
The new Resimac Chair boasts extensive experience in the legal sector, previously serving at legal firm Norton Rose Fulbright for over 21 years, including as a Managing Partner and – between 2020 and 2023 – as the Global Chief Strategic Alignment, Innovation and People officer.
Resimac interim CEO Susan Hansen noted Spanner’s “strong commercial skills and experience that includes managing partner of an international law firm and independent chair of another professional services firm”.
She also thanked McLeland for his “invaluable service to the company as Chair of the board since 2020 and for the many other roles he has played at Resimac since 1999 including chief executive and executive chair”.
Resimac, which is currently going through a leadership reshuffle, declared it would also announce its permanent CEO “imminently”.
The non-bank lender this year farewelled its long-serving CEO Scott McWilliam after 21 years with the firm, resigning in September 2024.
◼️ Insurance technology sector peak organisation Insurtech Australia has announced two new appointments to its board, with the addition of Blue Zebra Chief Technology Officer Amar Roomi and FreightInsure CEO Simon Schwarz.
The pair’s appointment, on two-year terms, comes as Red Planet Software CEO and founder Peter Williams and Suncorp EGM of strategy and innovation Sid Baidwan step down.
QBE Ventures CEO James Orchard, Curium CEO and founder Tetiana George and Zap Central director Lisa Woodley are returning directors.
“We look forward to the contribution of this new board to the growth and maturity of the Insurtech Australia ecosystem and are confident they will bring a variety of experience, connections and insights to support the strategic direction of Insurtech Australia over the next two years,” said Insurtech Australia CEO Simone Dossetor.
