New Bank of Sydney CEO appointed

The Bank of Sydney board has appointed Kieran McKenna as its permanent CEO, effective 1 July 2026.

McKenna – who had been acting CEO since 3 November 2025 – first joined Bank of Sydney in 2024 as chief risk officer, before being named acting CEO in 2025.

He filled the role following the departure of Melos Sulicich (now a non-executive director at SME lender Earlypay).

The new CEO has more than 30 years of experience in the Australian financial services sector, largely in risk roles, including 10 years as the general manager of risk at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and several senior roles at major banks.

McKenna was the head of operational risk & compliance for retail at both Westpac (2009–10) and St.George Bank (2005–08), before becoming the general manager of business risk for retail banking at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (2010–14).

Speaking of the appointment, chair of the Bank of Sydney, Nikolas Hatzistergos, said that McKenna had been a clear choice, specifically noting his leadership during the digital transformation of the bank as it deploys the Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, suite in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) mode through AWS cloud.

Hatzistergos said: “Kieran is an experienced banking leader who successfully steered one of the most significant milestones in our organisation’s history, delivering our core banking transition on time and within agreed parameters.

“The board is confident that Kieran is the right leader to build on this momentum, continuing to strengthen our customer experience while advancing our vision of sustainable, multi-generational banking that delivers value for our customers, communities and stakeholders.”

The new Bank of Sydney CEO said he was “proud” to lead the bank as it moves beyond a period of significant transformation and into its next phase of growth and evolution.

“Together with the board, it’s a privilege to lead Bank of Sydney at such an important point in our journey,” McKenna said.

“Over the past year, we’ve laid the foundations with our new core banking platform, enhancing our customer and employee experience. While much of that work has been behind the scenes, customers will now start to see a difference in how easy it is to bank with us.

“We’re on a path of sustainable growth, strengthening our products and services to attract new customers, while deepening our connection to the communities we serve. What matters most to me is that we stay close to our customers and communities as we grow, because that’s what sets Bank of Sydney apart.”

[Related: Bank announces new head of lending]

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