Westpac reorganises its senior management row

An analyst said CEO Gail Kelly’s move aims to cultivate long-term succession candidates.

Kelly has started the reshuffling by adding Rob Coombe and Brad Cooper to a shortlist of internal CEO aspirants.

Coombe, the BT Financial Group head, will replace Peter Hanlon as head of retail and business banking. Meanwhile, Brad Cooper, CEO of Westpac New Zealand before leading the successful St George Bank integration over the past 18 months, replaces Coombe.

According to The Australian,  Coombe and Cooper are both in their mid-40s, as in the case of Rob Whitfield, another internal CEO candidate, who is currently the head of the institutional bank.

Hanlon for his part takes on the newly created role of group executive, people and transformation.