Movers & Shakers

Helia appoints new CEO

Specialist lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) provider Helia has named insurance veteran Mark Senkevics as its next CEO and managing director.

The board announced Senkevics would formally take charge on or before 1 December 2026.

Most recently, Senkevics served as CEO, underwriting agencies at Steadfast Group Limited, a large general insurance broker network and underwriting agency business.

Before that, he spent two decades with global reinsurer Swiss Re, holding senior posts such as managing director and head of property, head of Australia and New Zealand, and head of the Korea branch.

He will succeed Michael Cant, who stepped into the role of interim CEO on 1 July 2025 after previously serving as Helia’s chief financial officer.

Cant’s initial 12-month contract will be extended, so he can remain at the helm during an “orderly transition and handover”, before retiring from full-time executive work.

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Aussie creates first retail GM role to drive growth

Aussie Home Loans has appointed Dino Pacella as its inaugural general manager, retail, in a move the business said reflected the scale of its franchise footprint and its ambitions to expand and sharpen store performance.

The newly created position will see Pacella responsible for lifting store performance, driving network growth, and boosting broker productivity across Aussie’s retail channel while helping shape the group’s future retail proposition and strengthen links across the wider network.

Pacella formally stepped into the new role on 1 July 2026.

He brings more than 20 years’ experience in financial services, including senior positions at Suncorp Bank and leading the third-party commercial referral arm of Marketplace Finance within Simplicity Loans & Advisory Group.

Lendi Group chief distribution officer Brad Cramb said carving out a dedicated retail leadership position reflected how central the shopfront channel had become to the group’s growth plans.

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MyState chair steps down, former leader returns

MyState Limited (MyState) has revealed that chair and non-executive director Sandra Birkensleigh will retire from the board on 30 June 2026, drawing to a close 11 years of service at the listed banking group.

Birkensleigh’s time on the board spanned a period of structural change, culminating in the February 2025 merger that brought together Tasmania-based MyState Bank and Queensland-based Auswide Bank.

With Birkensleigh set to leave at the end of June, the board has moved to reappoint independent non-executive director Vaughn Richtor as chair, effective 1 July 2026.

Richtor first joined the board in September 2019 and previously chaired the company from April 2022 through to February 2025, including during the design and execution of the Auswide merger and the development of the current growth plan.

Birkensleigh used her farewell to highlight that she had represented investors in both institutions through that transition.

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Finweb welcomes NSW BDM

Sub-aggregation group finweb has appointed business development professional Ishan Mahajan as broker development manager (BDM) in NSW.

This marks its first team member appointed outside Victoria, reflecting the group’s continued expansion across Australia and growing presence in NSW and Queensland.

Mahajan joins finweb after more than five years with Deposit Power, where he built a strong reputation for supporting mortgage brokers, developing industry relationships, and helping businesses identify and achieve growth opportunities.

In his new role, the NSW BDM will focus on broker recruitment, business development, and supporting finweb members to achieve their professional and commercial goals.

Working with brokers nationally, he will help introduce and support members across finweb’s integrated offering, including aggregation through LMG, mentoring and coaching, loan processing support, Australian Credit Licence solutions, and business growth programs.