Marnie Baker, the regional banker elevated to RBA board, receives OA in King’s Birthday honours
Career banker Marnie Baker, the newest recruit to the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy board, received a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the financial and banking sectors.
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Career banker Marnie Baker, the newest recruit to the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy board, received a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the financial and banking sectors.
The Honours List recipient ran Bendigo Bank from 2018 to 2024 and was deputy chair of the bank industry lobby group, the Australian Banking Association, from 2018 to 2024.
“This honour is a well-deserved recognition of Marnie’s contribution to banking in Australia,” Bendigo Bank chair Vicki Carter said.
“Marnie led Bendigo Bank and the sector through a period of significant change, providing a valuable regional perspective at all times.
“We are proud to see her unwavering commitment to our customers, people and communities acknowledged in this way.”
Ms Baker is one of two external appointments nominated last year by federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers to the RBA’s policy board until February 2030. Its goal is to promote the economic prosperity of Australians. The other appointment was Renée Fry‑McKibbin.
Bendigo Bank operates Australia’s second-biggest regional and rural branch network.
Richard Fennell succeeded Ms Baker at Bendigo, validating her leadership as the board looked internally for its next leader.
One of the triumphs of her tenure was the growth of digital banking brand Up.
Ms Baker has served as a director of the Regional Australia Institute since 2024, and as chair of the regional advisory board for La Trobe University, Bendigo, since 2020. She is a La Trobe alumna.
Ms Baker grew up on a dairy farm and chose a career in accounting over teaching, which she has described as a sliding doors moment. She was the first female CEO of Sandhurst Trustees, which was later acquired by Bendigo Bank.
“I could be anyone. I wasn’t from a privileged background. I’m from a regional area. I didn’t necessarily aspire to be the CEO of an ASX 100-listed company. If I can do that, then anyone can,” she told her alumni newspaper in 2021.
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Originally published as Marnie Baker, the regional banker elevated to RBA board, receives OA in King’s Birthday honours
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