• After a 10-year stint as CEO, Jacque Celliers will be stepping down from the position on 1st April 2023.
• RMB CEO, Alan Pullinger will also be stepping down.
• FirstRand has also announced that it’s chairman will step down at the end of November.

This afternoon FirstRand the company behind RMB and FNB announced that the CEOs of those organisations would be changing.

Following a 10-year stint as chief executive officer at FNB, Jacques Celliers will be stepping down from the position on 1st April 2024. He will take up a new role that will see him taking executive responsibility for developing FirstRand’s fintech strategy.

“I am grateful for the time I spent at FNB, it was an honour to lead such a committed and innovative team. Together we built a market-leading digital institution, with great customer propositions delivered on a well-constructed and agile platform,” Celliers said in a statement.

“I am excited to now give dedicated focus to some of the really innovative offerings currently sitting in FNB. These offerings have resonated with customers but have the potential to materially scale, both within our own customer base and eventually the open market,” he added.

Replacing him as CEO is the current CFO at FirstRand, Harry Kellan. The forthcoming FNB CEO has worked as the CFO at FirstRand for a decade having joined FNB in 2005.

“Going home to FNB is an exciting prospect. I feel energised at the prospect of leading a motivated, already high-performing team and work alongside them to shape the future of these famous brands, FNB and WesBank. I am inheriting a great business in great shape, with a brand recognised for excellence in innovation and exciting customer propositions. I believe the insights and learnings I have gained as group CFO can bring new perspectives to the business, in particular unlocking greater collaboration with the wider portfolio,” said Kellan.

As for FirstRand, Alan Pullinger will be stepping down as CEO effective 1st April 2024. In his place, Mary Vilakazi will take up the mantle of FirstRand’s chief exec. She joined the group in 2018 as its chief operations officer and has worked closely with Pullinger as an executive director.

“During his tenure, Alan has demonstrated inspirational leadership and I have been privileged to work in partnership with him and the broader team. I take over at a time when the portfolio is in good shape in all of its jurisdictions. The things that set FirstRand apart from its peers and enable it to outperform remain firmly in place. Our portfolio of leading brands, our top-quality talent, our unique and long-standing culture of empowerment and accountability, and our relentless focus on shareholder value creation will continue to underpin the group’s success on my watch,” Vilakazi said in a statement.

These aren’t the only changes with Kellan moving to FNB, Markos Davias will be moving to FirstRand as its chief financial officer. In addition, the current chairman of the FirstRand board will step down at the group’s annual general meeting next month. He will be replaced by Johan Burger on 1st December.

“The ability to promote from within ensures the transition of responsibilities is seamless and collaborative, and that the individuals moving into these new roles have had the necessary experience, tenure and track records of delivery. The board is also pleased to be able to appoint a well-qualified successor in Johan Burger,” Jardine said.

That sure is a massive shake-up, but it’s always good to bring some new blood with fresh ideas to the fore. We hope to see the new leadership at these firms push forward some new ideas and solutions as they settle in starting from next year.