Sir John has become a board member of the major bank, effective immediately, four months after he was named chair of ANZ New Zealand in October 2017.
ANZ Banking Group chairman David Gonski lauded Sir John’s “successful international career in business and politics” in a statement.
“Sir John has the ideal credentials to further strengthen ANZ’s board,” Mr Gonski said.
“Our New Zealand business has already benefitted from his significant experience and I know he will make a valuable contribution to the ongoing success of the broader group.”
Before Sir John entered politics, he held roles in finance across Singapore, London and Sydney at Bankers Trust and Merrill Lynch.
During his time at Merrill Lynch, he was head of global foreign exchange and a member of the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s Foreign Exchange Committee.
According to the statement, Sir John will stand for election as director at ANZ’s next annual general meeting scheduled for 19 December this year.