Senior Lending Manager

Macquarie's digital wealth chief heads to BT. Binaya dahal. Journalist 6 October 2026 Adam Hett, who spent the past 13 years at Macquarie Group and most recently served as its Head of Digital Wealth, has exited the investment banking giant for a newly created Chief Product Owner - Digital role at BT. The wealth management arm of the Westpac Group announced the appointment on Friday, saying Hett will lead the strategy, performance and ongoing evolution of the firm's digital channels, including its Panorama desktop and mobile app. According to BT, the role was created in response to growing demand for simpler, mobile-first wealth experiences. It said that more than 5,000 advisers currently use Panorama and over half of all platform logins are made through the mobile app. "The most successful advice businesses are increasingly focused on technology that feels simple, integrated and aligned to the way they work and engage with clients," Annabelle Kline, Chief Product Officer at BT, said. "His (Hett) expertise will be invaluable as we continue to evolve Panorama and support the next stage of growth for advisers and investors." At Macquarie, Hett was responsible for the vision, strategy and delivery of digital wealth experiences across the group and oversaw a team of more than 150 product, design, engineering and delivery specialists. He also held a range of senior leadership positions across its wealth management business, including responsibility for adviser-facing digital platforms. Hett said BT's market position and ambitions for Panorama were key factors behind his decision to join the business. "Panorama has established itself as one of Australia's leading wealth platforms, with significant scale, strong momentum, and a clear focus on adviser outcomes," he said. "What attracted me was the opportunity to help shape the next phase of its evolution and help enhance how advisers and their clients engage with Panorama through more integrated and intuitive digital experiences."

Media releases. Alyssa Healy takes on new coaching role at Westpac 2 october 2026. Westpac has appointed Australian cricket great Alyssa Healy as its new High Performance Leadership Coach, bringing one of the country's most respected sporting leaders into the organisation to mentor leaders. A former captain of the Australian Women's Cricket Team, Healy has spent more than 16 years competing at the highest level. She will work with Westpac leaders and employees, sharing lessons from elite sport on performing under pressure, leading through change, building resilient teams and making high-stakes decisions. Westpac CEO Anthony Miller says Alyssa's experience will bring valuable lessons from one of the highest-performing team environments in the country. "Alyssa is an outstanding role model and leader who has spent her career performing at the highest level, leading teams through pressure, change and expectation," Miller said. "The lessons in leadership, teamwork and positivity under pressure that she has learned along the way are directly relevant to its people and to any organisation that wants to perform at its best. "Bringing in someone with Alyssa's experience gives our leaders and teams the opportunity to learn from a world-class leader and high-performing athlete who understands what it takes to prepare well, work together and deliver when it matters most." Speaking about the new role, Healy said: "I'm thrilled to join the Westpac family and be a part of Australia's oldest bank, with its rich history and strong focus on shaping the future. "To me, leadership is a never-ending journey of learning, growing and most importantly supporting others in their own journeys along the way. I'm passionate about sharing my stories, experiences, and skills to help people build confidence and empower them to reach their potential. "I'm excited to meet lots of new people, hear their stories and experiences and continue to learn myself along the way." As Westpac's High Performance Leadership Coach, Healy will focus on practical topics like performing under pressure, leading through uncertainty, building high-trust teams and creating environments where people can do their best work. The role has been designed to complement Westpac's existing leadership and talent programs. In addition to presentations and leadership forums, she will contribute to selected leadership development programs and work directly with emerging and high-potential leaders. A particular focus will be creating more opportunities for women to develop as leaders through mentoring, coaching circles and leadership development initiatives. Connecting participants with accomplished leaders like Alyssa can help build the networks, perspectives and practical leadership skills that support long-term career growth and further leadership opportunities. "One of the things I'm most excited about is giving our people the chance to engage and learn from Alyssa in different ways," Miller added. "Whether it's through leadership forums, coaching sessions or our existing talent programs, the focus is on creating opportunities for people to learn and be the best they can be. That's what great coaching does, it gives people the confidence to keep improving and reach their potential." ABOUT ALYSSA HEALY Alyssa Healy is one of Australia's most accomplished cricketers and respected sporting leaders. A wicketkeeper-batter and former captain of the Australian Women's Cricket Team, Healy represented Australia for more than 16 years, helping lead the team through one of the most successful periods in its history. She won multiple ICC World Cups and T20 World Cups and is widely regarded as one of the best wicketkeeper-betters the game has produced. Known for her fearless leadership, competitive mindset and ability to perform under pressure, Healy captained Australia and played a pivotal role in some of the sport's biggest moments, including World Cup and Ashes triumphs. Beyond her on-field achievements, she is recognised for her insights on teamwork, resilience, high performance and leadership. Healy retired from cricket in 2026 following a distinguished career spanning more than a decade and a half at the highest level. Media contact:

Westpac's loan book plummets as mortgage growth collapses. Westpac's housing loan book substantially fell in August, with mortgage growth at the largest lenders grinding to a halt. Westpac's housing loan book fell by $14.12 billion in August, with new data showing mortgage-book growth slowing sharply across the country's 10 largest authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs). The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's (APRA) latest monthly ADI statistics showed that Westpac's total housing portfolio contracting by $14.2 billion or 2.73 per cent during the month to $503.8 billion, a substantial reversal after the major bank recorded a $2.78 billion increase in June. The fall was spread across both borrower segments, with Westpac's owner-occupier book dropping by $9.69 billion, or 2.83 per cent, to $332.9 billion, while its investor portfolio shrank by $4.43 billion, or 2.53 per cent, to $171 billion. While Westpac remains Australia's second-largest housing lender behind Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), the gap between the two banks widened markedly over the month as CBA continued to add to its mortgage portfolio. CBA's total housing loan book rose $2.60 billion in August to $640 billion, and while still a solid dollar increase, it represented a material step down from the $5 billion rise recorded in June. The major bank's owner-occupier book grew by $2.16 billion to $417.1 billion, while investor lending increased by $430 million to $222.9 billion. Yet both segments were weaker than the gains reported in June. The National Australia Bank (NAB) and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) also recorded marginal overall growth. After declining in July, NAB's housing book increased by $200 million, or 0.06 per cent, to $351.7 billion. Its owner-occupier portfolio edged up $120 million to $236.3 billion, and its investor lending lifted by $80 million to $115.3 billion, a considerably weaker outcome than its $1.77 billion total increase in June. Meanwhile, ANZ's total housing portfolio also grew by just $200 million, reaching $333.2 billion, with the result sharply lower than the $3.12 billion gain reported in June. Macquarie remains the growth outlier Macquarie Bank again bucked the broader slowdown, expanding its housing loan book by $1.98 billion, or 1.06 per cent, to $187.9 billion in August. Although the increase was down from its $3.39 billion rise in June, it was the strongest percentage gain among the larger lenders. Its owner-occupier lending grew by $1.38 billion, or 1.21 per cent, to $115.3 billion, while its investor portfolio rose by $600 million to $72.6 billion. Macquarie had already played an outsized role in July's mortgage-book growth. The 10 largest ADIs added around $6 billion to their combined housing books during that month, but Macquarie accounted for $2.22 billion of that increase. Growth eases at mid tiers ING Australia also recorded milder growth, with the bank increasing its book by $460 million, taking its home loan portfolio to $75 billion. Several mid tiers also saw declines, with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's housing portfolio falling by $90 million, or 0.14 per cent, to $64.4 billion, while Suncorp Bank's book dropped by $270 million, or 0.48 per cent, to $54.4 billion. HSBC Australia recorded a $470 million, or 1.35 per cent, decline to $34.4 billion. The Bank of Queensland's (BOQ) housing portfolio was unchanged at $50.7 billion, and while the bank did not return to growth, the flat outcome interrupted a 23-month run of monthly contractions. Several of August's weaker results also sit alongside lender-specific strategic changes. Suncorp's declining mortgage book comes as ANZ advances its integration of the business. ANZ's June-quarter update had already shown Suncorp's mortgage book declining by 1 per cent, from $62 billion to $61 billion, suggesting that the continuing contraction is occurring during a period of portfolio transition. HSBC's decrease also follows its agreement in late July to sell its approximately $36 billion Australian home and personal loan portfolio to Blackstone, with completion expected in the first half of 2027. The transaction has also intensified competition for HSBC mortgages as lenders seek to attract refinancing borrowers. BOQ, meanwhile, remains in a rebuilding phase after pausing new-to-bank home loan originations for its BOQ retail brand through the broker channel in mid-2024. Cooling demand reshapes lending The slowing in mortgage balances is emerging against a weaker demand backdrop. Both developments have contributed to a cooler mortgage-demand environment, particularly as borrowing capacity comes under pressure. Major-bank application data has also pointed to a major deterioration in demand after the budget, with ANZ, Westpac, CBA and NAB reporting substantial falls in applications across both owner-occupier and investor lending. Equifax data showed overall mortgage demand was down 14.1 per cent year on year in August 2026, marking the fifth consecutive monthly fall. Want to see more stories from trusted news sources? Make The Adviser a preferred news source on Google. Click here to add The Adviser as a preferred news source. Charlie Tchetchenian Charlie Tchetchenian is a senior journalist at Momentum's mortgage broking title, The Adviser. Charlie writes news, features and original articles about the Australian broking industry, the mortgage market, financial regulation and the wider lending landscape. Prior to joining The Adviser in early 2026, Charlie worked as a digital reporter for News24.com.au (formerly Sky News Australia) and has been a journalist writing for numerous independent community publications in Sydney's north-west. Charlie has also worked as a political adviser for ex-New South Wales treasurer Matthew Kean. When Charlie is not writing news, he is performing as a jazz singer, holding regular headline shows around Sydney.