Heartland Bank Announces Two Senior Leadership Appointments
Alistair Scott joins Heartland Bank in the role of Chief Auto & Asset Finance Officer. With over 30 years' experience in the automotive industry, Alistair most recently served as Managing Director for Jaguar Land Rover's Asia Pacific region, overseeing operations across 16 markets. His extensive expertise spans senior roles in sales, franchise management and business development across diverse markets including Asia, Latin America, Australia, and the UK.
Rebecca Thomas will be taking on the role of Chief Digital Transformation Officer. Bringing more than 25 years of experience in technology, data and enterprise transformation, Rebecca's career spans multiple industries including insurance, engineering, government and professional services. Recognised as one of the country's top Chief Information Officers from her time at PwC New Zealand, she brings deep expertise in technology operations alongside a strong focus on AI and data-driven initiatives.
'I'm delighted to welcome Alistair and Rebecca, who will be instrumental in driving our vision to innovate, grow and continue meeting the specialist banking needs of New Zealanders,' said Leanne Lazarus, Heartland Bank CEO.
Alistair and Rebecca will join Heartland Bank on 8 September and 15 September 2025, respectively. Their appointments are subject to Reserve Bank of New Zealand non-objection.
About Heartland Bank
Heartland Bank Limited (Heartland Bank) is a 100% New Zealand operated and managed bank with a long history stretching back to Ashburton in 1875. It provides customers with specialist banking products, including Reverse Mortgages, Livestock Finance, Motor Finance, Asset Finance and Savings and Deposit products.
Heartland Bank has been awarded Canstar's Bank of the Year Savings for eight consecutive years (2018-2025) and is New Zealand's leading provider of reverse mortgages. Its Reverse Mortgages have received Consumer Trusted accreditation from Consumer NZ for eight years in a row from 2017 – 2024. Heartland Bank's point of differentiation is its 'best or only' strategy – where it focuses on providing banking products which are the best or only of their kind through scalable digital platforms.
Heartland Bank's parent company, Heartland Group Holdings Limited (Heartland Group), is a financial services group with operations in Australia and New Zealand. Heartland is listed on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges (NZX/ASX: HGH).
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