Canstar Group, Australia’s largest financial comparison site, has announced the appointment of Mark Gracey (pictured above) as its managing director and group CEO.
Gracey, brings more than eight years of industry experience to Canstar, having been a former executive at MoneySuperMarket.com Group (MONY), where he played a crucial role in strategic initiatives for the UK comparison site.
His achievements at MONY included leading the development of mobile apps for two of its brands, MoneySuperMarket and MoneySavingExpert, merging TravelSupermarket with Icelolly.com, and overseeing acquisitions totalling approximately £150 million for the group.
From 2018 to 2023, Gracey served as the chair of the UK B2B digital mortgage comparison platform, Podium Solutions.
Andrew Willink, Canstar Group chairman and founder, expressed enthusiasm about Gracey’s appointment, emphasizing his international experience and track record in building consumer-centric, trusted digital financial services platforms.
“We have many exciting growth opportunities ahead and Mark brings to our business highly relevant international experience and a track record in building consumer-centric, highly credible, and trusted digital financial services platforms,” Willink said.
Gracey is set to become the third group CEO in Canstar’s 32-year history.
Outgoing CEO Andrew Spicer, who has led Canstar for the past 16 years, will retire at the end of February. Under his leadership, Canstar evolved into one of Australia's most trusted brands, with over 2 million monthly visitors.
“On behalf of all of the Canstar Group family, including our team, board of directors and shareholders, as well as our incredibly important corporate and retail customers, we sincerely thank Andrew for his outstanding contributions over the last 16 years,” Willink said.
Gracey, expressed excitement about leading Canstar, highlighting the brand’s reputation for transparency and simplicity. Drawing parallels with his experience at MoneySuperMarket Group, he said he aims to continue Canstar’s mission and build on its established reputation.
Reflecting on his tenure, outgoing CEO Spicer remarked on the privilege of building a trusted brand that annually attracts 12 million Australians seeking assistance.
“It has been a privilege to work with the talented board, management, and team at Canstar for 16 years,” he said. “I am also very excited for Mark to be joining as our new group CEO. We have known him since 2016 and have been impressed with what we feel he can now bring to the Canstar Group, as its new leader. I wish him the very best.”
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