newy.com.au – James Cudmore has been named the next chief executive of NGM Group, the customer owned organisation behind Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent, succeeding founding CEO Bernadette Inglis.
The appointment will now go through the regulatory process. Ms Inglis and Mr Cudmore will work together during a planned handover over the coming months.
Ms Inglis will leave executive leadership to focus on board roles and advisory work after more than seven years at Newcastle Permanent and NGM Group.
She joined Newcastle Permanent as chief executive in 2019 and led its merger with Greater Bank in March 2023, becoming the combined group’s first CEO.
NGM Group said home lending and customer deposits had grown by more than 20 per cent since the merger, while total assets had reached a record $25.1 billion.
Mr Cudmore, currently the group’s chief customer and digital innovation officer, brings 20 years of banking experience in Australia and the UK.
He joined Newcastle Permanent in December 2019 as chief customer and product officer and took on his current position after the merger. His responsibilities include the group’s customer, product and digital functions.
He has also held senior roles at Westpac and Lloyds Banking Group.
NGM Group chair Darren Turner said Mr Cudmore had “the Board’s full confidence to lead its next chapter”.
Mr Turner also credited Ms Inglis for her leadership during the merger and the group’s subsequent development.
“Bernadette has led with conviction and care while driving significant transformation,” Mr Turner said.
Mr Cudmore said the role carried a responsibility to customers, staff and communities.
“Leading this organisation is a privilege that I do not take for granted, and I will work every day to honour the trust that our customers, people and communities place in us,” he said.
