Our Executive Team.

Catherine was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Westpac New Zealand in November 2021.

She has more than 25 years’ experience working in financial services and prior to joining Westpac, Catherine led large-scale transformations at some of the world’s best known banks including Barclays Group and Lloyds TSB in the UK.  Earlier in her career she worked at BNZ, ASB and the Prudential Group.

Catherine was raised in New Zealand. She graduated from Canterbury University with a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Commerce. 

Reuben Tucker joined Westpac New Zealand in August 2022, and his role oversees Westpac New Zealand’s business banking sector – incorporating Institutional; Corporate and Commercial; Agribusiness; and Small Business.

He is a senior banker with broad and deep experience in institutional banking having worked for almost 25 years in New Zealand, Australia and the Asia Pacific, in a career that has included financial markets, debt capital markets, relationship management, and transactional banking.

Reuben is a New Zealander and gained his Bachelor of Arts (Econs & Political Science) from the University of Auckland, and his Master of Applied Finance & Investment from FINSIA. He has also completed professional development with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the NZ Institute of Directors.

He sits on the Boards of Tri NZ and Cure Kids, and he also has professional affiliations with FINSIA, NZID, and INFINZ. Reuben has also represented New Zealand at the ITU and the World Masters Games, and in 2021, he was accredited as a Lydiard Foundation athletic coach.

Helen Ryder was appointed Managing Director Consumer Banking and Wealth in May 2024. In this role, she oversees Westpac New Zealand’s consumer banking business which includes branches, contact centres, and private wealth management. 

Helen has been with Westpac since 2003 in various leadership roles. Her 25 plus years banking career has spanned from branch-based customer facing roles, to Financial Markets where she led teams that supported consumer and business customers, to Business Banking. Helen was appointed Acting General Manager of Consumer Banking and Wealth in November 2023.

Helen is a New Zealander who grew up on the Kapiti Coast. She holds an MBA from the University of Auckland.

Russell Jones was appointed Chief Information Officer in November 2022, after a period in the Acting role. As the CIO, Russell oversees functions including technology engineering, architecture and IT risk, while also maintaining our tech standards and disciplines.

Russell is a globally experienced executive and governance professional in manufacturing and financial services. He has held senior executive roles in technology in organisations in New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and in the US.

Russell was awarded the New Zealand Chief Information Officer of the Year in 2011 and was ranked #1 in the NZ CIO100 rankings in 2017. He is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and the current President of New Zealand Masters Swimming.

Sarah Hearn was appointed General Manager Product, Sustainability and Marketing in March 2023. In this role, Sarah oversees functions that include product, brand and marketing, data central, experience design, sustainability, external affairs and Māori strategy.

Sarah is a senior banker with experience in leading both customer facing and support functions, and in distribution and digital transformation. She joined Westpac New Zealand after a long and successful career at both NAB and ANZ in Australia.

Sarah gained her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne and her MBA from their Melbourne Business School. She has also completed leadership programmes at Harvard.

Stephen O’Brien was appointed Acting Chief Risk Officer in November 2024. Prior to this appointment, Stephen was the General Counsel NZ, a role he has held since 2022.

He joined Westpac in 2014. Stephen was a partner in law firms for more than 20 years in the City of London. He spent his private practice career specialising as a finance lawyer, and he has a deep understanding of and strong experience in financial services law, both in New Zealand and internationally.

Stephen has an LLB(Hons) from Brunel University in London.

Stefania Esposito was appointed as the Acting General Counsel in November 2024.  She leads Westpac New Zealand’s Legal, Regulatory Affairs and Secretariat functions.

Stefania joined Westpac New Zealand in 2014.  She has over 20 years’ experience in legal, regulatory and governance roles in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Stefania is a New Zealander of Italian heritage. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Criminology) from Victoria University of Wellington.

Marc Figgins joined Westpac in May 2020, as General Manager Human Resources and Communications. He oversees the teams and activities within Human Resources, and Corporate Communications and Events.

Prior to joining Westpac, Marc was General Manager People for Revenue and Operations divisions at Air New Zealand. In this role, he was responsible for driving the strategy to support more than 5,000 employees across 11 countries. Earlier in his career, he spent a number of years in Hong Kong, working in senior leadership roles in the International Division of ANZ Bank, and for Standard Chartered Bank.

Marc holds a Bachelor of Laws from Waikato University, and has also completed a post-graduate programme with Stanford University on leading organisational change and renewal.

James Grant was appointed Acting Chief Financial Officer in January 2025. He joined Westpac New Zealand after six years at Westpac in Sydney where most recently he led Westpac’s transition of the external auditor.

James’ previous roles at Westpac include divisional CFO of Westpac’s Pacific Banking, Wealth, and Auto Finance businesses. He has also been Westpac’s Group Financial Controller, with oversight of the Group’s accounting, financial control, and ASX reporting processes.

Prior to joining Westpac, James held finance roles at Macquarie Group in Australia and Credit Suisse in London. James originally qualified as an accountant at PwC in London.

Following the issuance of the sustainability reporting standards in late 2024, James retired from the Australian Accounting Standards Board after a six-year voluntary term. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (England and Wales).