New CIO has experience in implementing wide-scale banking change, agile transformation, technology, and managing risk.
Bankwest, a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia has moved its chief operating officer, Rebecca Mitchell, into the role of CIO, which was vacated by Andy Weir in November 2020.
On her LinkedIn page Mitchell stated she was a “senior leader experienced across banking and technology”.
According to Mitchell she has “experience implementing wide-scale banking change, agile transformation, technology, managing risk and regulatory obligations and digital customer experience programs”.
Previous to senior leadership positions Mitchell also worked in program management and technology roles.
Weir left his position as CIO, after 11 years in the position at Bankwest. Since leaving he founded TranXform Consulting.
During his time at Bankwest, Weir stated he helped tansform Bankwest’s operating performance between 2010-2020.
Weir stated he helped design and led the Bankwest national expansion “resulting in over 50 per cent of customer base and assets now based on the East Coast of Australia”.
He also helped to design and lead first Australian enterprise scaled agile operating model transformation (3500 FTE), increasing delivery velocity (Lead Time to Change) by 50 per cent and improving systems resilience.
During his time Weir also worked to transform Bankwest Technology organisational culture, raising colleague engagement.
In August 2020, Bankwest noted cyber criminals were seizing on the work-from-home reality facing Australians amidst a pandemic, with Bankwest identifying a surge in remote access and IT scams over the COVID-19 period.
Bankwest customers were the target of 389 cases of remote access and IT scams between January and July – the second most prolific threat type – with a total exposure of A$1,200,000.
The dangers of identity theft are the focus of this week’s National Scams Awareness Week, which Federal Government body Scamwatch said last year cost Australians A$15.8 million.
Remote access scams usually involve criminals posing as tech support and contacting victims under the guise of being able to fix issues with their computer if they are permitted access to it.
Scammers then further leverage that access to personal data, such as using saved credentials to enter online banking portals, and can create backdoors to freely reconnect to the computer.
Bankwest’s scams and fraud team recorded 1582 cases in the first seven months of 2020, with a potential exposure of more than $10 million, and recovered A$8.25 million in customer funds.
The most common threat facing customers in that period were investment scams, with 475 cases worth A$1,782,351, as criminals seize on the financial uncertainty created by COVID-19.
