Revolving Doors > October 2026

September was a busy month for finance leadership across A/NZ. New CFOs named and several long-serving finance chiefs moved on, just as reporting season closed.

The backdrop got harder too. The RBA raised the cash rate again, pointing to higher global energy prices, AI-driven increases in technology costs and businesses passing their own cost pressures through to prices. The RBNZ and the US Federal Reserve also lifted rates during the month.

In Australia, the RBA’s ban on surcharges for most debit and credit card payments took effect at the start of October, so businesses that passed card costs on to customers must now absorb them or reprice. For incoming CFOs, funding costs, pricing and capital discipline are on the agenda from day one, with AGM season about to begin.

ASX appointments:

ASX Limited (ASX: ASX) named Keir Barnes chief financial officer on 21 September, one of the first calls by managing director and CEO Anthony Attia, who started on 1 September. Barnes has been CFO of Dexus since 2021 and was deputy CFO for two years before that. She finishes at Dexus in mid-December and joins the exchange after that; ASX has not given a start date. Andrew Tobin, who joined in 2022 and flagged his retirement in July, stays in the seat until she arrives.

DroneShield (ASX: DRO) announced Rebecca Lowde as CFO on 10 September, starting 2 November. Lowde was most recently CFO of KKR-owned MYOB and before that CFO at Afterpay, where she supported a $1.5 billion capital raising and the $39 billion sale to Block. She has also been CFO and CEO of Salmat and CFO of Bravura Solutions. She replaces Carla Balanco, who leaves after more than eight years with the company and will help with the handover. Readers will know Lowde from our CFO Spotlight on her time at MYOB. The counter-drone maker says FY2026 committed revenue has reached $251 million, and it has hired a CFO who has already been through that kind of growth.

Sunshine Metals (ASX: SHN) appointed Tyson Balanzategui as CFO from 1 October. Based in Townsville, he was previously finance director at Chaarat Gold Holdings.

Interim to permanent:

Treasury Wine Estates (ASX: TWE) confirmed Justin Pipito as group CFO on 30 September, effective the next day, after what it called a comprehensive internal and external search. Pipito had been interim chief financial and strategy officer since 1 June, after Stuart Boxer’s retirement was brought forward to 30 June. He joined in 2016 as CFO for Australia and New Zealand, then ran finance for Asia and for Penfolds before becoming deputy CFO. The permanent title drops “strategy”, which Boxer’s role and the interim one both carried.

First days: FIVE CFOs who started in September

Ansell (ASX: ANN) has Erik Van den Enden in the seat from 1 September. He was group CFO of Versuni and before that group CFO of Telenet, and is based in Brussels. He takes over from acting CFO Fred Marx.

Regis Healthcare (ASX: REG) started Stuart Hooper on 1 September. He joins from Bupa Asia Pacific, where he was CFO, and was earlier group CFO of Ventia. He succeeds Rick Rostolis, who retired on 31 August.

PEXA (ASX: PXA) started Graham Curtin as group CFO on 1 September. He had been deputy CFO of REA Group since 2018 and takes over from interim CFO Liz Warrell.

Aspen Group (ASX: APZ) promoted Hamish Perks from its transactions team into a newly created CFO role on 1 September.

Vitura Health (ASX: VIT) confirmed James Frayne started on 29 September, two months after naming him. He takes over from interim CFO Tom Howitt.

Just over the line: InDebted started Brendan Lee as CFO on 1 October, the same day as new CEO Chris McNamara. Lee was Morgan Stanley’s head of technology, media and telecommunications for Australia and New Zealand.

CFO to CEO:

In Australia, no ASX-listed CFO was named chief executive during September. The nearest thing was at Adairs (ASX: ADH). Group CEO Elle Roseby resigned on 29 September with notice running to March 2027, and CFO Matt Edmonds, who joined in February, became group CFO and operations director in the same announcement. The board is starting a CEO search.

Soul Origin promoted CFO George Gebran to Chief Executive from 1 October. Gebran had been CFO for seven years and takes over day-to-day leadership from co-founder & managing director Hao Quach, who shifts to long-term strategy and international expansion. The food-to-go chain has 178 stores across Australia and New Zealand and is targeting about 400 globally within 10 years.

One more notable appointment for the finance community: the G100 named Megan Motto as its next CEO. She started as CEO designate on 14 September and formally takes over from Stephen Woodhill on 19 October.

Across the Tasman:

Serko (NZX/ASX: SKO) said on 24 September that CFO Shane Sampson will step down after more than five years. He serves a six-month notice period and leaves in March 2027, staying to deliver the FY27 reporting. Sampson joined in October 2021. A search for his successor has begun.

Winton Land (NZX/ASX: WIN) is hunting for a CFO in the middle of a board rebuild. Jean McMahon resigned on 27 August and stays until 26 November; she has been on the senior leadership team since 2018. Her notice came a day after chair Steven Joyce and audit chair Guy Fergusson announced their resignations. Michael Stiassny took the chair on 2 September, former chief executive Chris Meehan left the board on 14 September and the general manager corporate services resigned a day later. The company is searching externally for a CFO and still needs a permanent chief executive.

PGG Wrightson (NZX: PGW) has the tidier handover. Peter Scott leaves at the end of October after more than 11 years, and group financial controller Brian Harrison, with the company since 2010, steps up in November.

NZX (NZX: NZX) Chief Financial Officer Graham Law had been acting Chief Executive since 1 May and handed over to Hishaam Mirza on 14 September. Mirza spent 14 years at the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, most recently heading direct investments. Deputy CFO Amy Trotman has been acting CFO since May.

On the way out:

Dexus (ASX: DXS) loses Keir Barnes to the ASX in mid-December after seven years with the group. Kerri Leech, four years at Dexus, has been made deputy CFO for the transition, and the search for a permanent replacement will run internally and externally.

Inghams (ASX: ING) reached its handover date on 30 September. As announced in May, Gary Mallett steps down after seven years as chief financial and commercial officer, and Grant Douglas, formerly CFO of Brickworks, takes a standalone CFO role from October.

Rent.com.au (ASX: RNT) CFO and joint company secretary Adam Webb Ware resigned effective 4 September. No successor has been named.

Rest has gone without a like-for-like replacement. Former CFO John O’Sullivan left in August for a deputy CFO role at HESTA, and the fund told Financial Standard it has put finance and investment operations under a new chief commercial officer.