Westpac executive to lead HR and corporate affairs from October 6
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand has appointed Kathryn Marler as Group Executive, Chief Human Resources Officer. She will start on October 6, subject to regulatory approval.
Marler will lead the bank’s HR and Corporate Affairs functions across Australia and New Zealand. She will also join the Region Australia, New Zealand Executive Team.
In the role, she will report to Caroline Oosterbaan, chief executive of Rabobank Australia and regional manager for Australia and New Zealand.
Marler joins Rabobank from Westpac Banking Corporation. There, she held senior leadership roles focused on enterprise-wide transformation and People and Culture strategy.
Oosterbaan points to banking and transformation experience
Oosterbaan said Marler brought “extensive People and Culture experience in complex, highly-regulated organisations, together with deep banking knowledge and a strong commitment to building high-performing, future-ready teams”.
She said Marler’s banking sector background and large-scale transformation experience were central to the appointment. Rabobank wanted a leader who could build a People and Culture strategy that matched the wider Rabobank Group while responding to the needs of the Australian and New Zealand business.
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand is part of the global cooperative Rabobank Group.
Across Australia and New Zealand, the bank provides corporate and business banking services to food and agribusiness clients. It also offers online retail savings and deposits in both markets.
Start date remains subject to approval
Marler said she “is excited to join Rabobank at such an important time for the bank and the sector it serves”.
She said she had long admired Rabobank’s cooperative culture and its commitment to Australian and New Zealand farmers and food producers. Marler said she looked forward to working with Oosterbaan and the leadership team to build workforce capability.
Rabobank did not provide further detail on the regulatory approval process. The bank also did not announce any other executive team changes with Marler’s appointment.
