Heartland announces changes to the board

On 1 January 2020, Vanessa Stoddart, independent director of Heartland Bank Ltd, stepped down from her role on the board.

The former lawyer and change management specialist had served on the board of Heartland Bank – a New Zealand bank and subsidiary of ASX/NZX-listed lender Heartland Group Holdings Ltd – since 2016.

Bruce Irvine, the chair of Heartland Bank, thanked Ms Stoddart for her contribution throughout that period, “particularly in relation to the people, culture and conduct areas”.

It has now been revealed that governance specialist and Bank of New Zealand’s (BNZ) former chief customer officer (BNZ Partners), Shelley Ruha, has been named as the new independent director on the board of Heartland Bank.

The group particularly noted Ms Ruha’s wide range of governance experience – which covers fintechs, “large-scale technology infrastructure and payments innovation, wealth management, venture capital and education based growth for SMEs” – and her “extensive banking experience in the New Zealand market”.

While at BNZ, Ms Ruha has not only been chief customer officer but also director of enterprise services and head of corporate and institutional banking, spanning all aspects of business banking and wealth management.  

Ms Ruha’s appointment officially commenced on 1 January 2020.

She is also currently a non-executive director of The Icehouse Ltd and 9 Spokes Ltd. 

[Related: Heartland Group appoints new CFO]