The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has appointed three new panel members to lead its inquiry into the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) group.
The panel, chaired by Rob Whitfield, includes Christine Holman and Guy Debelle. Their appointment follows ASIC’s earlier announcement of an inquiry focused on governance, capability, and risk management within the ASX group.
The panel has been tasked with making recommendations to address any shortcomings or deficiencies identified in the ASX group’s governance and risk practices. A final report will be submitted to ASIC by 31 March 2026 and will be made public.
ASIC announced the inquiry’s establishment on 16 June over shared concerns with the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) regarding ASX’s capability of maintaining a stable, secure, and resilient critical market infrastructure.
The panel will be supported by an ASIC secretariat led by ASIC senior executive, Jane Eccleston.
Whitfield is currently an independent non-executive director of Commonwealth Bank, a non-executive director of Transurban Limited, and a member of the council at the Australian National University.
He spent three decades at Westpac Banking Corporation in senior roles including chief executive officer of the institutional bank, chief risk officer, and group treasurer.
He later served as chair and director of the New South Wales Treasury Corporation and secretary of the NSW Treasury and Industrial Relations.
In 2020, Whitfield was awarded the Order of Australia for his service to the finance sector and public administration.
Holman is a non-executive director on the boards of AGL Ltd and Collins Foods Ltd, and also serves on the board of Indara Pty Ltd, a private company jointly owned by Australian Super and Singtel.
With over 35 years of executive and board-level experience across sectors including media, property and infrastructure, Holman also worked as the chief financial officer and commercial director at Telstra Broadcast Services.
Debelle is the chair of Funds SA and sits on the boards of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, e61 and Tivan. He also advises the investment committee of Australian Retirement Trust, chairs the advisory board of Famille Capital, and is an honorary professor of economics at Adelaide University.
He spent 25 years at the RBA, including six as deputy governor and 10 as assistant governor of financial markets. After leaving the RBA, Debelle served as the chief financial officer at Fortescue Future Industries.
ASIC chair Joe Longo commented: “Rob, Christine and Guy bring a wealth of experience in their roles as members of ASX top 20 boards and government investment funds, as well as deep experience across global markets, banking, regulatory, risk, and technology.
“Their depth of experience and skills will be invaluable as we undergo this inquiry.”
