Experienced executive Michelle Winzer to lead digital bank
Michelle Winzer, the former chief executive banking of RACQ Bank, has started her new role as the CEO of Heartland Bank Australia Limited.
New Zealand-based Heartland Group is listed on both the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges.
The Group includes Heartland Bank NZ, Australian reverse mortgages business Heartland Finance, and Australian livestock finance division StockCo Australia.
In May 2024, Heartland Group's New Zealand bank acquired Melbourne’s Challenger Bank.
Digital bank Heartland Bank Australia was formed as the result of Challenger Bank being rebranded and becoming part of the group’s Australian operations, including Heartland Finance and StockCo.
Winzer (pictured above) brings more than three decades of experience working in financial services with her to her new role leading Heartland Bank. She was appointed as CEO on April 30 but officially started in the role on Monday, July 22.
She was in charge of banking operations at the member-owned RACQ (Royal Automobile Club of Queensland) Bank for three years and was CEO of the Bank of Melbourne from June 2017 to February 2020.
Winzer also held senior management roles at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bankwest and Westpac. She’s a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course and a member of the AICD and has completed an MBA through Melbourne Business School.
Heartland Bank described Winzer as an “authentic visionary leader with extensive experience delivering cultural transformation”.
“She has a strong values-based leadership style and is passionate about diversity and inclusion,” the bank said.
Heartland Bank chair and Independent non-executive Director, Geoff Summerhayes, said the board was thrilled to have Winzer leading a team of high-calibre executives.
“We are ambitious for the new Heartland Bank to continue the growth of Heartland’s specialist business in reverse mortgages and livestock finance,” Summerhayes said.
“Michelle is a strong leader, who has a track record of delivering outcomes.
“The banking landscape and product set has contracted in recent years, and we believe there is great potential for a focused specialist bank, like Heartland Bank, to meet the needs of underserved segments such as older Australians and livestock graziers with our ‘best or only’ banking strategy.
“The board is excited to have Michelle onboard to lead the execution of Heartland Bank’s strategy.”
Summerhayes said Winzer would be based at Heartland Bank’s Melbourne office, focusing on executing the bank’s strategic priorities for continued growth, as it looked to help more Australians to do more with their money.
“Whether that be helping people make the most from their savings, supporting livestock producers to access capital with specialist livestock finance, or providing reverse mortgage solutions to help Australia’s ageing population to live a more comfortable retirement.”
Heartland Bank is Australia’s largest ADI provider of reverse mortgages and a specialist provider of livestock finance (through the StockCo brand).
The bank said it was focused on providing Australians with competitive term deposit rate and “specialist banking products that are the best or only of their kind, through digital channels”.
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