Catherine McGrath will take over as chief executive of Westpac New Zealand, following the retirement of David McLean who stepped down at the end of June.
Catherine McGrath, chief executive of Westpac New Zealand. Photo: Supplied / Westpac
McGrath recently returned to New Zealand from London where she was head of channels for Barclays Group, following several other senior leadership roles at Barclays since 2013.
Westpac Group chief executive Peter King said she was an experienced and well-respected financial services leader.
"Catherine's banking career started at the Bank of New Zealand. Since then, she has driven large-scale transformations at some of the world's best-known banks, including Barclays Group and Lloyds TSB in the UK. "
McGrath will join Westpac on 15 November, subject to regulatory approvals in Australia and New Zealand.
Simon Power will continue to act in the role in the interim, after which time he will return to his role as general manager, institutional & business banking.
McGrath has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce, accounting and business administration, from the University of Canterbury and was admitted to the New Zealand Bar in 1994.