OPENING NEW CHAPTER : ANZ Samoa Country Head, Bernie Poort
Outgoing ANZ Samoa Country Head, Bernie Poort is moving on to the next chapter in his career.
Mr Poort has held several senior roles at ANZ in the Pacific, including Head of Commercial Banking, ANZ Samoa; Country Head, ANZ Tonga; and most recently Country Head ANZ Samoa with regional oversight of ANZ Cook Islands and ANZ Tonga.
In this time, Mr Poort has built strong relationships with regulators which helped ensure ANZ’s customers could navigate their way through COVID-19 successfully.
Reflecting on his time as Country Head, ANZ Samoa, Mr Poort said: “It has been a privilege to work with customers, the community and government stakeholders to drive better outcomes for the entire country.
“From the Samoa measles crisis to the pandemic, I am humbled to have played a part in Samoa’s economic recovery,” Mr Poort said.
ANZ Regional Executive for the Pacific, Sarah Stubbings, said: “We want to thank Bernie for his significant contribution to our business and to the region.”
“The Pacific remains a key part of ANZ’s international network and Samoa is one of our core Pacific markets. We’re committed to our customers, our communities and our people here,” Ms Stubbings said.
ANZ today announced Ravendran Achari will take on the role of Acting Country Head, Achari has been ANZ’s Chief Financial Officer for the Pacific since 2013 and Head of Strategy since 2022. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors (NZ).