Westpac names Anthony Miller as CEO successor

Westpac has announced its new chief executive, who has a vision to return the big-four bank to a “position of leadership”.

Westpac says its business and wealth head Anthony Miller will succeed Peter King as the bank’s chief executive.

The veteran banker has been with Westpac since 2020 after heading Deutsche Bank’s Australia and New Zealand operations for four years.

Before that, he spent 16 years at Goldman Sachs.

Announcing Mr Miller’s appointment on Monday, Westpac chair Steven Gregg said the bank was looking “for an executive who is customer-focused” with a strong track record and an in-depth grasp of the Australian market.

“Anthony is that executive,” Mr Gregg said.

“He has a vision to return Westpac to a position of leadership and build on the foundational work of the past five years.”

Anthony Miller will succeed Peter King as the bank’s chief executive after four years at the bank. Picture: Britta Campion / The Australian

Mr Miller, who will take over from Mr King on December 16, said he was “excited by the opportunity” and paid homage to the man he is set to replace.

“Westpac is an exceptional company that plays a profoundly important role in the lives of millions of Australians,” Mr Miller said.

“I’m excited by the opportunity and I’m grateful for Peter’s significant contribution as CEO. My aspiration is to build on that work and unleash Westpac’s true potential.”

Mr Miller said he wanted Westpac “to be a bank that’s built on trust and reliability”.

Mr King will retire after five years in the bank’s top job.

The outgoing chief executive said Mr Miller was “an experienced banker, with customers at the heart”.

“He’ll make a great CEO,” Mr King said.

The change comes after Westpac announced last month it was shutting its RAMS Home Loans arm amid an investigation into its mortgage broking.

Originally published as Westpac names Anthony Miller as CEO successor