Westpac names new Chief Brand & Marketing Officer

News 16 Aug 2021 - 1 min read

Westpac names new Chief Brand & Marketing Officer

By Sam Buckingham-Jones - Senior Writer

Annabel Fribence is the new CMO of Westpac Group.

After more than eight years at KFC, Annabel Fribence will start at Westpac as Chief Brand & Marketing Officer in November.

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Tags: Annabel Fribence Westpac CMO KFC martine jager

Westpac Group has hired KFC Asia marketing chief Annabel Fribence as CMO, overseeing brand, creative and marketing across the portfolio.

What you need to know:

Annabel Fribence is Westpac Group’s new Chief Brand and Marketing Officer.
She is currently KFC’s Asia CMO, and will start the new role in November.
Fribence will report to Chris de Bruin, chief executive of consumer and business banking, taking responsibility for Westpac, BT, St George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA and RAMS.

Westpac Group has appointed Annabel Fribence as its new Chief Brand & Marketing Officer. Fribence, currently the Asia CMO for KFC, will return to Australia to take up the role from November.

She will report to Chris de Bruin, the chief executive of consumer and business banking, and be responsible for brand, creative and marketing for Westpac, BT, St George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA and RAMS.

“The Westpac brand has a long and rich history in Australia, and I’m thrilled to be returning home to be part of shaping the future of the brand and marketing direction for the Group,” Fribence said in a statement, adding in a post on LinkedIn: "I have had an incredible journey at KFC and leaving the wonderful team is bittersweet. I’ve had the privilege of seeing first-hand the power of a brand built from celebrating its strengths, its people-first internal culture, and combining this with creative bravery."

De Bruin said Fribence is both creatively and commercially minded, has significant experience with major brands in Australia and Asia, and will be “a great advocate for our people, brands, and customers.”

Fribence takes the reins from interim CMO John Harries, who stepped into the breach following Martine Jager's departure for Bank of Queensland as Group Executive of Retail earlier this year.