Heritage Bank adds international expertise to leadership ranks

26 November 2020

Heritage Bank has further strengthened its leadership ranks, appointing three internationally experienced finance executives to key management roles that will target future growth.

Heritage today announced the recent appointments of Mr Stuart Walker to the newly created role of Head of Payments; Ms Jeanne Hii to the role of Head of Product; and Ms Maribel Reyna Cruz to the position of Head of Business Performance and Growth.

All three boast extensive banking resumes, with international experience, and will take up roles that are vital to Heritage’s ongoing growth plans. 

Heritage CEO Peter Lock said the appointments continued to build the depth of expertise in the bank’s leadership ranks, and would target areas of growth opportunity for the bank.

“We’re delighted to add three such talented people to our team, and their expertise will be invaluable in driving our business forward,” Mr Lock said.

“We’re already a leader in the payments sector of the Australian banking industry and we’re looking to leverage more opportunities in that space. We’re also exploring opportunities to improve our product offering as well as continuing to enhance the member experience.

“Appointing leaders of this calibre will help us achieve those goals.”

Heritage’s reputation as a national leader in the payments sector, as well as its people-first ethos, were key reasons Mr Walker opted to join the bank after 10 years in Singapore.

Mr Walker most recently worked for KPMG in Singapore, having previously been Managing Director – Head of Transaction Banking FX Product and Sales at Standard Chartered Bank and having held other senior banking roles at a number of international banks across multiple geographies, including Deutsche Bank, American Express, Bank of America and Citi. He has experience in payments, product development, transformation and digitisation spanning more than 20 years.

“The culture and putting people first resonated strongly with me. Having worked for shareholder-owned organisations previously, I believe those models are driving a change in their fabric and not necessarily for the betterment of their customers.

“Heritage within the payments sector is recognised as an innovator and plays well above its weight, so an opportunity to join and lead such a team was very appealing.”

Ms Reyna Cruz will use her passion for developing and delivering the best customer experiences to continue putting people at the forefront of everything we do in our retail area. 

She has more than 25 years of experience in leading organisations in Australia, Asia and Mexico.  Maribel has held senior positions with Suncorp, Flight Centre and Westpac and started her career in banking at one of the world’s leading banks, Santander.  

“I am extremely grateful to Heritage for providing me with what is a fantastic opportunity and challenge,” Ms Reyna Cruz said

“I am very excited about joining a Bank that really believes and lives member centricity and I look forward to developing and implementing tools, frameworks and programs that will help our people to meet more of our members’ needs.”

Ms Hii is relocating from Perth to take up the Head of Product position. She most recently held the role of General Manager Strategy with Bankwest, and previously had senior roles at Telstra, Macquarie Bank, Commonwealth Bank, KPMG and Accenture, both in Australia and Asia. 

Heritage’s outstanding reputation was again a key factor in her decision. 

“I was looking to join a company that truly acts on its customers’ interests, and takes care of its teams,” Ms Hii said.

“It’s very important to me to work for a purpose-led organisation that values integrity and trust, and puts the focus on people, as I believe it’s these core values that drive performance. From this perspective, Heritage has a strong reputation and fits well. 

“As the Head of Product, my focus is to harness our core strengths to deliver products and services that improve our members’ lives and help them thrive. 

“The level of energy and drive at Heritage makes it an exciting time to be here and continue the legacy of success and trust.”