Heritage Bank appoints new CFO

Mr Williams has been with Heritage Bank since 2000, initially as treasurer and more recently as chief strategy and investment officer. He has been acting as interim CFO for the past 12 months, while the incumbent Peter Cleary has been dealing with ongoing health issues.

Mr Cleary has now stepped down from the CFO role and taken up a position as Special Advisor to the CEO.

Heritage CEO Peter Lock said that he was delighted to announce that Mr Williams had accepted the new role.

“Paul’s commitment, passion and energy for our business is outstanding,” Mr Lock said.

“As CFO, Paul will have responsibility for Finance, Treasury, Strategy and our new Business Intelligence capabilities. We are excited to announce Paul’s position and to recognise the contribution he has made to Heritage over the years in his Treasury and Strategy roles. Combining Paul’s previous experience and duties with that of the CFO will make this a seamless transition.

“This is a demanding and complex role. I’m sure Paul will continue to thrive in the position and deliver outstanding results for Heritage.”

Before joining Heritage, Mr Williams held a number of treasury roles at the Bank of Queensland; prior to that, he held property analyst roles in Sydney and Durban, South Africa.

Mr Lock also applauded the contribution that Peter Cleary had made during his long career at Heritage.

“I want to thank Peter for his commitment, guidance and tireless effort as our CFO. We wish him all the best as he continues in his recovery journey, and we’re delighted that he will remain at Heritage in his new role and we will continue to benefit from his expertise and presence.”

[Related: Mutuals lend $83.4bn in 2017]