Movers & Shakers

LMG Asset Finance CEO departs

Long-time LMG Asset Finance CEO Tom Caesar has departed the asset finance business, with business-lending executive Shane Howell stepping in as interim chief.

Caesar, who will remain a director of LMG Asset Finance, was one of the original founders of the business following LMG’s acquisition of Nodifi, part of the Positive Group, which he founded with his father, Mark, in 2009.

The group said Caesar had overseen substantial expansion during LMG’s ownership of Nodifi, helping develop LMG Asset Finance into a significant platform within its diversified lending offering.

In a LinkedIn post, Caesar said his departure from the executive role brought mixed emotions.

“After 17 years the time has come to finish up at LMG Asset Finance. Words won’t cover the mixed emotions I’m feeling at the moment, but I couldn’t be more grateful, proud, and thankful for the journey I’ve had,” he said.

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BNK Bank announces permanent CEO

Digital bank BNK Banking Corporation has appointed Steve Kinsella as its permanent CEO and Judith Newman as its permanent chief financial officer following the departure of former CEO Allan Savins.

The appointments took effect on 14 August, subject to final regulatory approvals.

Kinsella joined BNK as CFO in November 2023 and was appointed interim CEO in April. BNK said he had played a “significant” role in the bank’s recent “turnaround and profitability”.

He brings more than three decades of banking experience spanning the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Bankwest, and ABN Amro, with roles in Australia and overseas.

Newman, meanwhile, has served as BNK’s financial controller since 2021 and also held the interim CFO role in 2023.

In an ASX statement outlining the appointments, the board said its decision reflected the executives’ contributions both before and during their interim leadership roles.

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NAB appoints Anna Bligh to board

National Australia Bank (NAB) has appointed former Queensland premier and Australian Banking Association (ABA) chief Anna Bligh to its board.

Bligh spent 17 years in the Queensland Parliament representing Labor, serving as minister for education, treasurer, and deputy premier before becoming the state’s 37th premier in 2007, a position she held until 2012.

She later moved into the corporate and peak-body sector, becoming the first female CEO of the Australian Banking Association in 2017 and leading the lobby group through eight years of intense regulatory and cultural scrutiny of the banking industry.

Bligh currently chairs UNICEF Australia’s board and previously spent nine years as a non-executive director of Medibank Private.

NAB chair Philip Chronican said Bligh “would be a significant contributor to the Board given her deep public sector and commercial experience and leadership across sectors”.

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Shift bolsters leadership team with GM appointment

SME lender Shift has announced the appointment of Genevieve Walker as its new general manager, corporate business division, a role that will see her help shape the lending experience for larger and more established SMEs with “sophisticated finance requirements”.

Walker joins Shift from Macquarie Group, where she spent more than 10 years in a range of senior lending and product leadership roles including director, product management, business bank lending.

In her new role, Walker will oversee credit and customer experience for the Shift’s corporate business division.

She will also work closely with Andrew Wagg, who was recently promoted to director, broker distribution and is responsible for leading Shift’s broker engagement.