Westpac yesterday announced the appointment of Chris de Bruin as the group’s chief executive of consumer banking.
The new appointment brings nearly 25 years of experience in financial services to the role, having spent time at both large banks and challenger brands based around the world over the course of his career.
Most recently, de Bruin served as CEO at non-bank lender Deem, based in Dubai. The group provides secured and unsecured loans, credit cards, deposits and financial guarantees to its 230,000 customers, and boasts a loan book valued around A$750m.
Prior to joining Deem, de Bruin spent one year in Toronto as president of digital platform at fintech Zafin, where he was responsible for the company’s engineering, product development, digital ecosystem and investment in new technologies.
Before that, de Bruin spent 13 years at Standard Chartered Bank in a variety of senior roles across both Asia and the Middle East; his most recent position at the group was global head of retail products and digital banking where he was responsible for overseeing the strategy, delivery and competitiveness of the bank’s portfolio of products, while also maintaining the soundness of the retail balance sheet.
Westpac's new head of consumer banking holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Cape Town as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
Subject to regulatory approval, de Bruin will commence in his new role with the major bank in early 2021.
Westpac CEO Peter King has warmly welcomed him to the group.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome Chris to the group executive team,” he said.
“Chris has extensive experience in consumer banking, which will be particularly valuable as we work to enhance our digital capability and better meet customers’ changing needs.”
