ANZ today announced Ravendran Achari will take on the role of Acting Regional Executive Pacific, following Tessa Price’s appointment to Head of Strategic Planning and Execution for ANZ’s Institutional business.
During Ms Price’s six-year tenure as Regional Executive Pacific, she has been responsible for driving the adoption of digital banking and has advocated for financial literacy and inclusion in the region.
Ms Price has also built strong, mutually respectful relationships with regulators which helped ensure ANZ’s customers could navigate their way through COVID-19 successfully.
Reflecting on her time in the Pacific, Ms Price said: “The Pacific is a remarkable, challenging and rewarding place to live and work, and it has been a privilege for me.
“Pacific people have a unique way of operating, which has really taught me a new way of leading.
“I have never met so many clever, hard-working people who are incredibly resourceful. And I have never laughed so much in my career.
“There is such a strong sense of community and the spirit of giving is ingrained; something the rest of the world can learn from.
“The Pacific has become family to me and I have learnt so much. I feel humbled to have come on this journey.
“I will continue to be an advocate of the Pacific and I will return to the Pacific as much as I can,” Ms Price said.
Mr Achari has been ANZ’s Chief Financial Officer for the Pacific since 2011. 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).
“The Pacific is a critically important region to both New Zealand and Australia and having worked closely with Tessa for so many years, I look forward to continuing to deliver on our strategy for our people, our customers and the community,” Mr Achari said.
Last month, ANZ announced it would strengthen its focus on building a world-class digital bank in its core Pacific markets (excl PNG) of Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Kiribati, as well as Timor-Leste.