Brian Hartzer was appointed chief executive of Westpac in 2015 but stepped down from the role in November 2019 as a result of the bank's money laundering and child exploitation scandal exposed by financial crime watchdog AUSTRAC. Mr Hartzer joined Westpac as chief executive of Australian financial services in June 2012 encompassing Westpac retail & business banking, St George Banking Group and BT Financial Group. He was appointed chair of the Australian Bankers' Association in February 2015. Prior to joining Westpac, Mr Hartzer spent three years in the UK as chief executive for retail, wealth and Ulster Bank at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Prior to that, he spent ten years at ANZ Bank in Australia in a variety of roles including his final role as chief executive of Australia and global segment lead for retail and wealth; and ten years as a financial services consultant in New York, San Francisco, and Melbourne. Mr Hartzer graduated from Princeton University with a degree in European History and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
