New ANZ CEO Nuno Matos (pictured) has wasted no time stamping his authority, telling staff that cultural transformation is “non-negotiable” and warning that every employee will be affected as part of a “permanent transformation”.
In a series of town hall meetings over the past month, Matos flagged dissatisfaction with current service standards and urged staff to embrace a new era of clarity, accountability, and decisiveness, AFR reported.
Matos, who took over from former CEO Shayne Elliott in May, is reshaping ANZ’s executive team and sharpening its customer focus following a wave of service complaints.
“The culture has to pivot, has to evolve from a culture that is respectful and is friendly, collaborative, and on top of that, a culture that is clear,” Matos said during a staff meeting in Sydney.
“People know what to do and what not to do. That is decisive.”
Sources close to the discussions said Matos, who took the reins in May after a senior leadership stint at HSBC, was candid in his message: transformation would be non-negotiable and organisation-wide.
“We will be in permanent transformation; in today’s business environment, change is the name of the game,” Matos said. “There is not a single person in this company that cannot transform the company a little bit.”
Matos added that he was hearing directly from up to five customers a day – a sign of how seriously he views service delivery issues.
Matos is already reshaping the executive team. ANZ has confirmed the departure of several senior leaders including retail division head Maile Carnegie, technology executive Gerard Florian, head of strategy Ant Strong, and general manager of innovation and partnerships Peter Dalton.
Insiders say these changes signal a more decisive and performance-driven culture under Matos’ leadership.
For mortgage brokers, the Matos era may signal new opportunities rather than disruption.
“ANZ remains committed to supporting the broker channel as they play a pivotal role in helping Australians achieve homeownership,” a spokesperson told Australian Broker. “The broker network is a strategic pillar of ANZ’s mortgage business, and we continue to invest in its growth.”
While the internal overhaul is aimed at boosting service and agility bank-wide, it also signals to brokers that ANZ recognises the need to improve – particularly in customer-facing operations.
For the broker community, that transformation could bring tangible benefits: faster system upgrades, clearer communication channels, and a more consistent client experience over time.
Matos’ emphasis on clarity, accountability, and decisive action echoes what brokers have long called for from lenders: less red tape, faster turnaround times, and stronger support throughout the loan process.
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