September 2024: Top five movers and shakers stories of the month
September has seen significant leadership changes at financial institutions worldwide, with several key hires and departures occurring throughout the month.
Here, we highlight five of the top movers and shakers stories in September, featuring Santander Spain, Northmill Bank, TD Bank, Westpac and more.
Ignacio Juliá leaves ING to become Santander Spain CEO
Ignacio Juliá joins Santander Spain (Image: Banco Santander)
Banco Santander has hired former ING chief Ignacio Juliá to replace Ángel Rivera as the new CEO of Santander Spain.
Rivera will step down on 1 October to “develop his career in other areas of the business world”, but will continue to support the leadership transition until the end of the year.
His successor joins the bank directly from a two-decade career at ING, where he has been serving as CEO of Spain and Portugal since 2021.
ING has confirmed that Almudena Román, its current new business development, brand and ESG lead, will assume Juliá’s former position until a permanent replace is found.
TD Bank Group president and CEO Bharat Masrani to retire next year
TD Bank president and CEO Bharat Masrani has triggered a leadership succession after announcing his intention to retire after more than 10 years leading the Toronto-headquartered banking group.
The 68-year-old, who first joined the bank in 1987, is preparing to step down from his leadership role and will officially enter retirement on 10 April 2025. He will continue to serve as an advisor to the bank until 31 October 2025.
The board has named Raymond Chun, current group head of Canadian personal banking, as Masrani’s successor.
Swedish neobank Northmill hires Julie Chatterjee as new group CEO
Julie Chatterjee joins Northmill Bank (Image: LinkedIn)
Stockholm-based Northmill Bank has named Julie Chatterjee as its new group CEO.
Chatterjee takes the reins from Tord Topsholm, who stepped down from the position in February.
Praising the neobank’s “strong foundation and streamlined infrastructure”, Chatterjee asserts that “now it’s time to continue commercialising the products and services we’ve developed”.
Chatterjee joins Northmill directly from Multitude Bank, where she has served as chief commercial officer and deputy CEO since 2020.
Anthony Watson steps down from role as CEO of The Bank of London
The Bank of London founder Anthony Watson is stepping down from his position as CEO and will transition to a new role as senior adviser at the firm.
He is to retain his position as non-executive director of the group’s holding company and also remains a shareholder.
Stephen Bell, who has served as the bank’s chief risk and compliance officer for the last three years, is set to take the reins as the company’s new CEO, subject to regulatory approval.
Commenting on the announcement, Watson describes the move as “one of the most challenging decisions of my career”, adding that now is “the right time after eight years leading the company”.
Westpac promotes Anthony Miller to CEO amid Peter King’s departure
Anthony Miller named as new Westpac chief (Image: LinkedIn)
Australian banking heavyweight Westpac has promoted Anthony Miller to group CEO and managing director.
The appointment has gained the approval of the Westpac board of directors, and will come into effect from 16 December 2024.
The incoming CEO will take the reins from Peter King, who has served the position since 2019 and is now preparing to end his tenure with Westpac after 30 years.
Miller joined Westpac four years ago as chief executive of the group’s institutional banking division, before transitioning to its business and wealth unit in August last year.
His professional experience to date includes serving as Deutsche Bank’s CEO of Australia and New Zealand, and as a managing director at Goldman Sachs, where he worked for over 16 years.
