Westpac confirms Michelle Klein as chief growth and marketing officer

Westpac has confirmed the appointment of Michelle Klein as chief growth and marketing officer, as big banks double down on AI and digital firepower. Klein joins later this year to help drive the bank’s customer, brand and data strategy.

Carolyn McCann, acting chief executive, consumer, at Westpac Group, shared the news on LinkedIn, describing Klein as a “customer-centric, commercial and data-driven leader, with global experience across a range of industries.” 

“We’re looking forward to Michelle joining us later in the year to take our growth and marketing agenda forward into the future, building on our proud 208-year history,” McCann wrote.

Klein joins from IAG, where she served as chief customer and marketing officer for just over two years. Prior to that, she spent more than a decade at Meta in senior global brand and marketing leadership roles.

SEE MORE: Westpac taps Andrew McMullan for data, digital and AI role

Her appointment comes as competition heats up in the banking sector around digital innovation, marketing and AI transformation. Westpac recently appointed Charles Green as its first chief artificial intelligence officer, while NAB named Pete Steel as group executive for digital, data & artificial intelligence – a new executive leadership role reporting directly to CEO Andrew Irvine.

Steel joins from Lloyds Banking Group in the UK and was previously chief digital officer at CBA.

The executive appointments reflect a growing push by Australian banks to modernise how they engage with customers and stay competitive in a market where digital expectations are rising and AI is reshaping business models.