The Mutual Bank has welcomed two new executive members to its leadership team to help guide the organisation through its next exciting phase.

Felicity Laczina is the Maitland-based bank’s new Chief of Corporate Services and Matthew Dunnill comes on board as the new Chief Member Officer.

Meanwhile, Merran Magill with a diverse legal and governance background, has been appointed Company Secretary and Corporate Governance Manager.

The Mutual Bank CEO, Geoff Seccombe said the trio brings a wealth of industry knowledge and fresh new perspectives to the team.

“We have an ambitious Strategic Plan for the next three years, a roadmap to make The Mutual Bank the bank of choice for Maitland and the Hunter,” Geoff said.

“Our purpose is to help people thrive and that includes our own team, our most important asset who day in and day out deliver exceptional service to our members.

“These new team members join our experienced leadership team, providing further confidence we have the right people to not only deliver our key financial targets and improved products but to sustain our outstanding culture that clearly demonstrates that our members come first.”

Felicity brings a wealth of sector knowledge to The Mutual Bank, having spent 11 years in People and Culture with the Newcastle Permanent Building Society.

She joins The Mutual Bank from her most recent role as Chief People Officer at Varley Group, one of Australia’s oldest and most advanced engineering and manufacturing companies. Felicity has also worked with City of Newcastle with a focus on Safety and Wellbeing and she is currently a non-executive director of the Mai-Wel Group.

She leads a portfolio that includes People & Culture, Facilities, and Corporate Support. A key focus of her role will be on delivering the People and Culture strategy.

“I love mutual banking,” Felicity said.

“The service ethos of The Mutual Bank aligns so nicely with what’s core to me, and I love being part of a great community which I find a much deeper experience when you are fortunate to work for an organisation like ours, with our history and track record of helping Hunter locals for more than a hundred years.”

As Chief Member Officer, Matthew Dunnill is responsible for ensuring the bank’s members receive the best possible service every day. He will lead initiatives to achieve member growth and profitability goals along with the service delivery and customer satisfaction.

Matthew has an incredibly strong banking pedigree, having joined The Mutual Bank from his role as Head of Retail and Third-Party Distribution at Queensland Country Bank (QCB) which has approximately $3 billion in assets.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Matthew, who is originally from the Hunter, with his family still living in the area. Mr Dunnill, who has an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business, has worked in the financial services sector his entire career, originally with St George/Advance Bank and later with Auswide Bank.

As Chief Member Officer, he will have the responsibility for the overall leadership, management and performance of The Mutual Bank’s traditional and digital member service overseeing the branch network, Member Services contact centre and Marketing and Communications team.

“The Mutual Bank’s values are very much aligned with an organisation I wanted to be a part of,” Matthew said of his decision to join the team.

“In my first few weeks in the role that became more and more evident each day.

“The team is amazing and is here for the right reasons – to help our members thrive.”

As Corporate Governance Manager, Merran Magill has also taken on the role of Company Secretary, supporting the member-owned bank’s Board of Directors.

As a solicitor, she also conducts the in-house legal responsibilities along with contract management.

With a Bachelor of Business along with a law degree, Merran has worked as a solicitor in Sydney, Newcastle and New York, and most recently in a similar role at the Newcastle Airport. She also serves on the Board of Directors for a Newcastle-based training and education provider.

“I’m passionate about good governance and helping our communities, so this opportunity was a great way to combine those two passions,” she said.

Felicity and Matthew join the Executive Leadership Team alongside Geoff Seccombe (Chief Executive Officer), Aleisha Taylor (Chief Financial Officer), Ken Archer (Chief Credit Officer), and Todd Paterson (Chief Information Officer). The Mutual Bank is currently recruiting for its Chief Risk Officer.

Merran joins Geoff as Company Secretary.

IMAGE | The Mutual Bank’s Chief of Corporate Services, Felicity Laczina, Chief Member Officer, Matthew Dunnill and Corporate Governance Manager, Merran Magill (left-right).