Westpac has announced the appointment of Debra Hazelton and David Cohen as independent non-executive directors.
According to the bank, Hazelton’s appointment is expected to be effective from early March, while Cohen’s is expected to be effective in early April.
“We are pleased to welcome Debra and David to the board,” Westpac chairman Steven Gregg said.
“Their extensive experience across banking and financial services complements the skills of existing directors and will be invaluable as Westpac executes its strategy.”
Namely, Hazelton brings more than three decades of experience in global financial services to the role. Her executive experience includes CEO roles in Japan and Australia.
She currently serves as chair of Export Finance Australia, is vice president of the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee and is non-executive director of the boards of Persol Holdings and Australia Post. Hazelton was previously the chair of AMP and AMP Bank.
“Debra brings a wealth of experience in transformation, capital markets and people and culture from her senior executive and director roles in Australia and Japan and will join our board remuneration committee,” Gregg said.
Moreover, Cohen has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and served as deputy CEO of CBA from November 2018 to December 2023. During this time, Cohen oversaw business divestments, supervised mergers and acquisitions, and progressed customer complaint resolution and remediation.
Cohen’s roles prior to joining CBA include general counsel at AMP and a partner at Allens.
Gregg said: “David’s breadth of large-scale executive leadership roles and experience in banking transformation, risk and regulation and governance will also be highly valued and he will join our board risk committee.”
