Westpac appoints new head of IT infrastructure

Westpac has lured the former head of technology infrastructure for global bank Goldman Sachs into the top post within its IT infrastructure team.

David Simpson will join Westpac’s infrastructure division on May 5 as its new global chief.

He will take over a division managed for the past six years by former general manager of infrastructure Gary Sim, who earlier this month announced his retirement.

Simpson spent the last 11 years at Goldman Sachs, most recently serving as its managing director of technology infrastructure and previously as its Asian head of technology infrastructure.

He departed the company late last year to become CEO at software-as-a-service provider Cost Optics. 

Simpson also worked for Westpac subsidiary BT Financial Group as its CIO in the years prior to its acquisition in 2002, and has additional experience in IT at Citibank.

The appointment is one of a handful to be made as a result of Westpac’s recent shake up of its IT leadership structure.

The reshuffle saw CIO titles handed to IT executives inside Westpac’s BT, St George and Lloyds businesses, alongside the creation of several new CIO roles, including a CIO of banking systems - filled by former Lloyd’s CIO Mike Wood - and a CIO of payments, a hire for which has yet to be made. 

Westpac is also on the hunt for a new BT Financial CIO following the promotion of Richard Holmes to Westpac’s new CIO of retail, business banking and wealth.

Update: Westpac advised it has also now appointed a new CIO to the BT Financial division, with Ana Cammaroto being promoted to the role.

The long-term BT employee was most recently its head of technology, platforms, operations and bBusiness transformation, a role Cammaroto had held since early 2012.

During her 16 years at BT, Cammaroto has worked across the organisation's technology environment in operations, infrastructure, private wealth, and application support, among other areas.