Thinktank GM retires following 4-decade career

Mr Kearns’ retirement brings to a close his 40-year career in the banking and finance industry, with his last 17 years spent at Thinktank.

The lender celebrated the legacy of Mr Kearns, particularly flagging his expertise in property finance and his professionalism across credit, mortgage administration, product innovation, compliance, and strategy.

Before joining Thinktank, Mr Kearns held leadership positions at other organisations in the finance space, including AMP Bank, Citibank, and Dutch financier AMEV.

Reflecting on the impact that Mr Kearns had on Thinktank, chief executive Jonathan Street stated: “Peter’s involvement with Thinktank from the very outset of our journey has been instrumental in steering us to where we are today.

“Looking back on our 17 years working closely together the business has far exceeded our original expectations and Peter has been a cornerstone of what we have been able to achieve, leading to exceptionally strong portfolio performance through multiple cycles.

“We believe that our success as a non-bank is grounded in quality credit management. The fact that we have been able to organically grow our loan book to $5.4 billion while maintaining consistently high credit quality, is largely due to Peter’s unrelenting commitment to prudent lending standards and communicating a consistent, common sense view on credit risk appetite.”

On top of his achievements in the sector, the lender highlighted that Mr Kearns was widely regarded as a mentor by many in the industry, with his work ethic, integrity and commitment to fostering a collaborative work culture inspiring others to “pursue higher goals and register career success”.

Mr Street added that trust and respect were the two words that “most genuinely characterised” Mr Kearns throughout his career.

The CEO commented: “These values have become a true reflection of our business and what we have been able to accomplish over many years.

“As he embarks on this new chapter in his life, we extend our sincere appreciation to Peter for his invaluable contribution to Thinktank as well as the banking and finance industry at large.

“His expertise, leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence will be greatly missed but his legacy will remain very much intact throughout our business.”

Mr Kearns said he was grateful for his rewarding career in the banking and finance industry.

He declared: “My time in the industry has been an extraordinary experience. I am particularly proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together at Thinktank. It has truly been the most gratifying experience of my working life and I have formed many strong friendships throughout my time there.

“I look forward to this new phase of my life, and to continuing many valued relationships I have formed along the way.”

Thinktank has confirmed it is now recruiting for a new general manager of credit.

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