A range of major appointments were made in the finance sector and adjacent spaces during the past 12 months. Here are some of the biggest moves covered by InvestorDaily in 2023.
1. Michele Bullock appointed next RBA governor
Arguably the biggest appointment of the year was made in July, when Michele Bullock was announced as the next governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), replacing incumbent Philip Lowe, who had served in the role since 2016.
Ms Bullock became the first female governor in the RBA’s history and had been considered among the frontrunners to succeed Dr Lowe, whose seven-year term expired in September.
2. ART announces key leadership appointments
In June, Australian Retirement Trust (ART) announced three new appointments to its leadership team, a move that the fund said will best position it to “deliver on its vision to be Australia’s most chosen and trusted retirement partner”.
Lachlan East was appointed chief member officer, Julie Bingham took on the role of chief of staff, and Anne Fuchs was appointed executive general manager of advice, guidance and education.
3. BlackRock appoints APAC head of wealth
At the beginning of 2023, BlackRock announced the appointment of James Raby as its new APAC head of wealth. Mr Raby was previously BlackRock’s APAC CFO and oversaw finance, corporate strategy and corporate development initiatives across the region.
His service with the firm dates back to 2005, when he was a director of strategy for Barclays before serving as a principal at BGI, which BlackRock acquired in 2008.
4. Former Macquarie Bank CEO joins Future Fund
The federal government announced the appointment of former Macquarie Bank chief executive officer Mary Reemst to the Future Fund board of guardians in October.
Ms Reemst previously spent more than two decades at Macquarie Group, including seven years as CEO of Macquarie Bank and 11 years as its global head of credit, before departing in 2021.
5. Perpetual names new COO as Pendal integration hits ‘midpoint’
Back in November, Perpetual announced the appointment of Craig Squires to the role of chief operating officer (COO). Mr Squires, who had served as deputy COO, joined Perpetual as chief technology officer in March 2022 and has been attending its executive committee since January.
He has over 30 years of experience in IT development, project management, support and information security in the financial services industry, and previously held senior roles at a number of firms including Challenger, Barclays Global Investors, MLC, and Westpac.
