One is country head for Vanuatu, the other for Timor-Leste
ANZ has announced two key appointments to its Pacific leadership team to support its focus on building a world-class digital bank in its core Pacific markets.
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Terence Low has been appointed country head for Vanuatu, following Sheng Lee’s move to Laos. Low is a seasoned banker whose 30-year career spans across multiple markets, including Fiji, Kiribati, PNG, and most recently Timor-Leste.
Bernadette Shaw has been appointed country head for Timor-Leste. Shaw’s experience in PNG, regional Australia, and most recently the Cook Islands, will put her in good stead to manage the risk and regulatory landscape in Timor-Leste, and to continue to support the delivery of ANZ’s accelerated Pacific strategy, the bank said.
“Every country in our Pacific network has its own unique set of economic and social challenges that affect our people, our customers, and our communities, so it’s important that we have leaders with the right experience and values to help navigate these,” said Ravendran Achari, ANZ acting regional executive Pacific. “I’m particularly pleased to have made these appointments internally, demonstrating the bench strength we have in our business.”
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Prior to Low’s appointment, he steered a complex business in Timor-Leste and set it up for success over the past three years.
He “has done this with empathy, building a strong and cohesive culture in the team, and made use of his excellent stakeholder management skills to navigate through political and economic challenges,” Achari said.
Shaw, meanwhile, “has a strong growth mindset and developed her country head skills quickly to steer our business in the Cook Islands through COVID-19,” Achari said. “I know she will continue to focus on building long-term customer relationships while driving high staff engagement.”
Subject to regulatory approvals, Shaw’s appointment will take effect on June 1 and Low’s from Aug. 1.
“The Pacific is a key part of ANZ’s international network and our presence in the region helps bring credibility, expertise, and scale,” Achari said. “I’m confident we have the right team in place to compete in a region where connectivity and digital are more important to customers than ever before and where community expectations have never been higher.”
