SVP – Corporate Development — Corporate Bank

The mandate

A recent strategy review exposed a board-approved inorganic agenda requiring disciplined execution within a multinational-owned regulated universal or specialist bank. The immediate arena is the corporate bank during a cost-to-income reset. For mandate 082, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The SVP – Corporate Development operating perimeter covers approximately A$58,500 million in loan and deposit book, with activity spanning several corporate bank customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The SVP – Corporate Development Banking remit carries direct influence over roughly 1,250 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors want a SVP – Corporate Development who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the corporate bank. The SVP – Corporate Development Banking seat must resolve a cost-to-income reset, while preserving the underlying strengths of the corporate bank. For mandate 082, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The SVP – Corporate Development’s first year on the corporate bank is expected to end with proprietary pipeline, integration logic and value realisation. In mandate 082, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is an urgent replacement for the SVP – Corporate Development — Corporate Bank seat following an accelerated leadership transition. Interim accountability is in place for the corporate bank, but the board wants a permanent appointment within 6–8 weeks because a cost-to-income reset cannot remain under split ownership. The predecessor’s outcome is being handled neutrally and professionally. The external search remains confidential until the preferred candidate and transition plan are agreed.

What you will own

• Set the SVP – Corporate Development value-creation thesis for the corporate bank, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately A$58,500 million in loan and deposit book, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the SVP – Corporate Development Banking organisation of about 1,250 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the corporate bank economics and execution constraints created by a cost-to-income reset, with SVP – Corporate Development-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one SVP – Corporate Development operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the corporate bank; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Show end-to-end ownership of a material platform or value stream, including budget, talent and measurable operating outcomes in mandate 082.
• Build the SVP – Corporate Development’s three-year succession and capability plan for the corporate bank, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Banking organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the corporate bank baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to a board-approved inorganic agenda requiring disciplined execution, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal SVP – Corporate Development portfolio and organisation choices for the corporate bank, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable corporate bank trend against proprietary pipeline, integration logic and value realisation, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the SVP – Corporate Development’s agreed first-year corporate bank value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A SVP – Corporate Development forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the corporate bank’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the SVP – Corporate Development mandate’s highest-priority corporate bank risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical corporate bank talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the SVP – Corporate Development’s direct reports.
• A quantified SVP – Corporate Development-owned improvement in the corporate bank operating constraint behind a cost-to-income reset, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 082: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a SVP Corporate Development, M&A Director or Strategy Executive in a multinational-owned Banking or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the corporate bank, your SVP – Corporate Development track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from financial services, payments, lending, insurance or regulated fintech will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this SVP – Corporate Development brief.

As a SVP – Corporate Development candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Banking or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of A$33,950 million and led an organisation of at least 875 people.

For mandate 082, the board wants two transitions: a difficult corporate bank portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a cost-to-income reset. As the prospective SVP – Corporate Development for this corporate bank, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 082 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The SVP – Corporate Development must be based in Sydney; international relocation is supported, but this Banking role is not designed as a remote appointment.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of SVP Corporate Development, M&A Director or Strategy Executive, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Banking governance forum.
• Proven SVP – Corporate Development ownership of at least A$33,950 million and leadership of no fewer than 875 employees in a comparable corporate bank context.
• One completed Banking or adjacent-sector example of a board-approved inorganic agenda requiring disciplined execution with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from financial services, payments, lending, insurance or regulated fintech; experience that is purely functional and lacks SVP – Corporate Development-level corporate bank consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Sydney location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 082.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated SVP – Corporate Development package is A$380,000–500,000 base + annual incentive, calibrated to the final corporate bank scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 082 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The SVP – Corporate Development appointment in Sydney, centred on the corporate bank, offers regular exposure to the chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 082.

Confidentiality

Client identity is withheld at this stage and will be disclosed under mutual confidentiality after an initial fit discussion for mandate 082. Rounded ranges and blended context prevent this document from being used to triangulate the organisation for mandate 082.