Westpac CIO to retire this year

Westpac’s group chief information officer of two-and-a-half years Scott Collary is set to retire “later this year”.

Collary – who has been with Westpac for six years in total – will “remain with the bank during a transition period while a search is underway” for a new technology leader.

News of his departure comes just over a week after it was revealed that group chief technology officer David Walker had also left Westpac, and would not be replaced.

Westpac said in a statement [pdf] that Collary had led the bank’s technology function “through a significant period of modernisation, resilience uplift and simplification across core systems.”

“The bank is more stable, more resilient and better protected because of the work [Collary] has led,” CEO Anthony Miller said.

“Collary had played a central role in strengthening the bank’s technology foundations.

“Most importantly, [he] has played a critical role in cyber security and scam prevention, protecting Westpac’s customers from a range of significant ongoing threats.

“[He] brought a calm and deliberate approach to complex challenges, and we thank him for his significant contribution.” 

Collary joined Westpac at the end of 2020, initially to lead a combined operations and technology function.

The combined structure was then scrapped in mid-2023, with IT and operations split up again. Collary became CIO at this time.

Prior to Westpac, Collary was group CIO of ANZ Banking Group. He also spent time leading technology at North American banks.