Peter Nash will join the board of Westpac, bringing with him more than three decades’ experience at KPMG Australia, during which he held the role of partner from 1993 to 2017 and national chairman for six years from 2011.
He has been appointed as an independent non-executive director and will also become a member of Westpac’s Board Risk and Compliance Committee and Board Audit Committee.
During his time as KPMG partner, he oversaw “overall governance and strategic positioning of KPMG in Australia”, according to a Westpac statement.
He was also on the Global Board of KPMG, served as chair of the firm’s Global Investment Committee. Before becoming partner, he held positions such as regional head of audit for Asia-Pacific, national managing partner for audit and head of KPMG financial services.
Mr Nash has extensive board experience, currently holding the role of non-executive chairman at Johns Lyng Group and serving on the boards of Reconciliation Australia, Koorie Heritage Trust, Migration Council Australia, Golf Victoria and the University of Melbourne Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies.
He is a former member of the Business Council of Australia and its Economic and Regulatory Committee.
Commenting on the appointment, Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted said: “Peter brings significant financial, accounting, risk management and business strategy expertise which will further complement the board’s capabilities.
“In addition, his experience in geographically diverse and complex operating environments and regulatory matters, together with his focus on financial services, particularly banking, will be an asset to the board.”
