Judo appoints ex-Westpac Group chief to board

Westpac Group veteran and former BT chief executive Brad Cooper will join the Judo Bank board, the neobank has announced today.

Cooper, who collectively has notched up nearly 20 years in executive positions, began his more than decade-long tenure with Westpac Group in 2007.

His most recent executive role was as CEO of BT Financial, serving more than nine years at the helm of the Westpac-owned wealth management firm.

Prior to joining BT, Cooper was Westpac’s chief transformation officer, responsible for overseeing the planning and integration of St.George Bank’s merger with Westpac Group.

He vacated the role in 2019 following the Group’s decision to merge BT into the bank’s consumer and business divisions, beginning his post-executive career in advisory and board roles, including as strategic adviser for Westpac during the Covid-19 pandemic (between 2019-21).

He currently serves on the board of the ASX-listed debt buyer and consumer credit firm Credit Corp Group, including as a member of its Audit & Risk and Remuneration & HR Committees.

Prior to joining Westpac, Cooper held senior roles at GE Capital, concluding his seven-year run with the firm as chair of GE Capital Bank and chief executive of GE Consumer Finance UK & Ireland between 2003 and 2006.

Judo recognised Cooper’s “proven track record in scaling businesses and improving operational efficiencies, and a deep understanding of the strategic and operational leadership, risk management and corporate governance.

The currently seven-member Judo Bank board consists of a number of high-profile ex-bankers and wealth management leaders. Among these include current Judo chair Peter Hodgson (a former ANZ institutional chief), Mette Schepers (a former GM small business and corporate leasing at ANZ), and David Hornery (formerly NAB EGM of corporate and specialised banking), who also co-founded and served as a former co-CEO of Judo, as well as current Judo CEO and MD, Chris Bayliss, a NAB and Standard Chartered Bank alum.

Hodgson praised Cooper as a “highly experienced and transformative executive”

“[The] board will benefit from the depth of banking expertise he will bring to his role as non-executive director of Judo.”

Cooper will commence his new role with Judo on 16 December.

Judo, founded in 2016 as a specialist SME-focused lender during a tidal wave of emerging ‘neobanks’ entering the local market, remains one of the last independent neobanks in Australia.

As at the end of FY2024, Judo reported pre-tax profits of $110 million (achieving profitability in 2022), a loan book of $10.7 billion and deposits of $8.2 billion, with a lending customer base of more than 4,300 SMEs.