ING Australia snares new CIO from Westpac's BT Financial Group

Westpac’s loss has become ING’s gain, with the Dutch-headquartered direct banking giant appointing Linda Da Silva as its new chief information officer after she jumped following a 12 year stint with Australia’s oldest bank.

Most recently CIO of BT Financial Group, the appointment came as Westpac announced the appointment of former ANZ chief executive and Barclays chairman John MacFarlane as its new chairman as the bank continues casting for a new head in the wake of the AUSTRAC debacle.

Da Silva’s appointment as technology lead at ING comes at a pivotal time for the pioneer of online-only banking in Australia, with the start of the open banking regime slated to start later this year, opening the way for customers to more openly contest and migrate accounts and loans.

ING has over the last decade carved out a more than respectable slice of the mortgage market by offering fast turnaround times on mortgage applications coupled with highly competitive rates to snare online savvy customers frustrated with more clunky experiences at the big four.

Da Silva takes over from ING Australia’s previous CIO Ani Paul who has now become ING’s global chief data officer based in Amsterdam.

Global banks with strong digital presence and execution in the Australian market are highly appealing as a career move for tech chiefs in the business lines of main street banks because they offer the opportunity to take on wider and more senior roles internationally without changing brands.

ING Australia’s chief executive Uday Sareen said Da Silva’s appointment coincided with the business growing strongly and scaling its digital capability across products and services.

 “She has the experience and skills to help accelerate our digital transformation and further differentiate our offering to customers,” Sareen said.