P&N Bank makes executive appointments

Customer-owned lender Police & Nurses Ltd, operating as the P&N Group, has announced that it has hired former Oracle executive Warren Willis as its chief information officer (CIO) and former human resources executive Christine MacKenzie as its chief people officer (CPO).

The appointments have followed the merger and subsequent integration of the organisation’s customer-owned banking brands (P&N Bank in Western Australia and Queensland-based lender Bananacoast Community Credit Union [bcu] in NSW and South-East Queensland).

According to the group, it has plans to continue to grow its national presence and footprint “both organically and through future partnership”.

Commenting on the appointments, P&N Group CEO Andrew Hadley said Mr Willis and Ms MacKenzie would add significant executive capability to the C-suite as the banking group seeks to implement its new five-year strategy.

“With the pace of change in banking and the continuing consolidation of the customer-owned banking sector, our customers deserve an organisation that not only remains relevant, but one that can also play a leading role in offering more Australians a genuine banking alternative to the major banks,” he said.

“I’m very pleased that Christine and Warren have chosen to take the next step in their careers with us. As well as their skills, Christine and Warren will each bring new perspectives and experiences to our organisation, and I very much look forward to welcoming them to the team.”

Mr Willis has over 30 years of experience across industries and technology/consulting vendors, most recently holding the position of senior director, product management with Oracle.

He has experience in the development of IT strategy, cloud/infrastructure operations, software development, project delivery and product strategy, including management of remote global teams.

Speaking of his new appointment, Mr Willis said: “I feel very fortunate to be joining P&N Group at such an exciting time in its history. The recent integration of P&N Bank and bcu provides a fantastic foundation, and I am looking forward to enabling further growth through the transformative use of information technology. I can’t wait to meet the entire team and work with them to develop the next chapter of our IT strategy, one that builds on the great work that has already been done.”

Ms MacKenzie, who was previously the regional head of human resources with TD Securities in Singapore, has over 20 years of experience in financial services across Europe and Asia Pacific, and experience in acquisition, integration and change. She also has experience in managing large multi-location human resources teams.

She said she was motivated to join P&N Group during a “pivotal” point in the bank’s growth strategy.

“As the leader of the People & Culture function, I feel privileged to be joining an organisation which places people, be they customers or colleagues, at the heart of everything it does,” she said.

[Related: Customer-owned lender hires transformation officer]