Westpac hires Citigroup tech exec as influential CIO Dave Curran retires
Westpac Banking Corporation has a new technology chief, after its highly respected chief information officer Dave Curran announced his retirement after four years reshaping the institution's mammoth tech environment.
In an announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange on Thursday morning, Westpac said it had hired US-based Citigroup's consumer bank chief technology officer Craig Bright to replace Mr Curran, when he leaves at the end of next January.
The appointment is a crucial one for the bank, with Mr Curran having been central to a major change in the way the increasingly digitally-focused institution manages and uses the vast quantities of data it generates.
It is well-advanced in a significant technology shift to move its core processes off its own premises and into the cloud, and Curran was behind the creation of Westpac's huge customer service hub, which forms a large part of the bank's plan to work more personally with customers.
'Fundamental changes'
In the statement Westpac chief executive Brian Hartzer said Mr Curran had led a "fundamental step change" in advancing the bank's technology capabilities. Mr Curran had previously been influential in Commonwealth Bank of Australia's high profile upgrade of its core banking systems.
He also called out Curran's positive influence on the group's culture and way of working, which included the introduction of agile methodologies and an annual event in which hundreds of technologists visit frontline bankers to fix technology issues.
"Importantly, under Dave's leadership, the stability and efficiency of our underlying technology infrastructure has been materially strengthened, which has reduced outages and improved cyber security," Mr Hartzer said.
"Dave has also been a passionate advocate for addressing the skills shortage in technology, regularly speaking about the need for constant reskilling.
"He has also been vocal in addressing the gender balance issues in the technology industry, advocating for the importance of both young women and men pursuing a career in STEM."
Global credentials
Meanwhile Mr Bright will return to the Australian banking scene, with strong global credentials, having previously been chief information officer of National Australia Bank's investment bank and general manager of its retail and business banking division.
After leaving NAB, he became global head of infrastructure and service delivery at Barclays in the UK, before joining Citigroup in 2011 to run the strategic and operational deployment of its Consumer Bank infrastructure.
He was subsequently promoted to become CTO of Citigroup's global consumer bank, where he has been pursuing an agenda to move systems into the cloud.
"Craig is a highly respected global business and technology leader, with more than 30 years' experience in technology and financial services. He is a well-rounded executive," Mr Hartzer said.
"Throughout his career, he has been part of some of the world's leading banking transformation programs, and is now at the forefront of future-thinking on digital, mobile and data and analytics strategies for one of the world's largest banks."
Mr Bright will begin at Westpac in December, whereas Mr Curran will retain an association with Westpac through a seat on the board of its $100 million Bicentennial Foundation, a scholarship fund focused on Australian education and leadership.
