Ken Christie, BNZ's chief financial officer of five years, will leave the bank at the end of the year to return to his native Australia for an as yet unspecified role at the bank's parent, National Australia Bank (NAB).
Christie joined BNZ as CFO in 2007 from NAB. In a brief statement BNZ CEO Andrew Thorburn said the bank was aiming to have a replacement CFO in place by the end of the calendar year, with a hand over from Christie before he moves to his next, as yet unconfirmed, role. Thorburn said Christie's return to Australia "is expected" to coincide with him taking up a new role at NAB.
Thorburn said Christie had "worked tirelessly" to build a world class finance team at BNZ that has delivered "excellent" results year-on-year in an "intensely" competitive environment.
"He has helped keep the bank safe and strong in some extraordinarily difficult economic times. We wish Ken and his family well for the future,” said Thorburn.
Along with its big three rivals - ANZ, ASB and Westpac - BNZ posted record half-year cash earnings earlier this year. BNZ's were NZ$385 million, up NZ$102 million, or 36%, from the same period of the previous year.
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