Westpac creates new role to oversee customer relations

Westpac Group CEO Brian Hartzer has announced that Carolyn McCann will take up the newly created position of group executive, customer & corporate relations, effective 18 June.

Ms McCann has been Westpac’s general manager of corporate affairs and sustainability since 2013.

Mr Hartzer claimed that the new role would improve efficiencies in Westpac’s customer resolutions team and help manage the bank’s relationships with its customers and the broader community. 

The Westpac CEO said: “Appointing a group executive to oversee our customer resolution teams, alongside our corporate affairs and sustainability functions, is an important step in meeting our commitment to delivering superior customer service.

“We are committed to running Westpac in a way that is fair to customers and supports them over the long term. And while we’re making good progress on our commitment to ‘get it right’ in the first place, it’s also important that we ‘put it right’ for our customers when things go wrong.

“It’s clear that in a number of instances we have been too slow in resolving genuine customer issues. This is not good enough. Customers have a right to expect fair, timely and effective resolution if they believe they have a concern or complaint.”

He added: “The new customer and corporate relations division will raise the importance and urgency around both objectives, as well as maintaining open lines of communication with all of our stakeholder groups so that we can identify and resolve the root causes of any new issues.”

Mr Hartzer also welcomed Ms McCann to the executive team and noted that he believes the new appointee is well placed to perform the role.

“Carolyn’s appointment to the group executive team will ensure that our customer agenda and any emerging customer issues stay front and centre at the highest levels of the bank,” Mr Hartzer said.

“Carolyn is a highly experienced executive who is well known across the bank for her passion for our customers and our service-oriented culture,” the group CEO added.

Since joining Westpac in 2013, Ms McCann has been responsible for external affairs, communications, government relations and sustainability across the Westpac Group.

Prior to joining Westpac, she held several roles over 13 years at Insurance Australia Group, including as group general manager of corporate affairs and investor relations, where she was responsible for corporate affairs, investor relations, brand integrity, government relations and stakeholder engagement.

[Related: Westpac slams ‘incorrect’ PwC mortgage report]