AFCA bolsters board with 2 finance professionals
The pair bring a “breadth of skills and knowledge to their roles”, says the chair of the complaints body.
The AFCA has named two industry directors to its board in experienced finance professionals Raylene Bellottie and Yien Hong.
Independent chair Professor John Pollaers said they brought a breadth of skills and knowledge to their roles.
“Both of these highly successful women are the perfect fit for AFCA’s board, and their appointments ensure the organisation will continue to provide an independent, free and fair external dispute resolution service for financial disputes in Australia,” he said.
The AFCA said Ms Bellottie (pictured left), a Nanda woman from Yamatji country, had expertise as an Aboriginal business director, consultant and board member.
With 25 years of financial sector experience, she was committed to enhancing indigenous financial literacy and had served as deputy chair of the First Nations Foundation for more than 10 years.
She had also worked at ANZ Bank and at Credit Union Australia, where as national business development manager of First Nations accounts and was instrumental in expanding the portfolio from $17 million to over $200 million.
Ms Bellottie was a business coach for the Waalitj Foundation and had held various roles with the Indigenous Advisory Group, the Indigenous Financial Service Network and as deputy chair for Nanda Aboriginal Corporation.
“Raylene’s remarkable career in the finance sector along with her experience working with small businesses means she has a strong understanding of the important work AFCA does,” said Professor Pollaers.
The AFCA said Ms Hong (pictured right) was general counsel and company secretary at Judo Bank, having previously held senior roles at Deutsche Bank, NAB and Linklaters, among others.
Prior to joining Judo Bank, she was general counsel and company secretary at Growthpoint Properties Australia, an ASX-200 listed property fund, and also senior legal counsel at NAB.
Her international experience included three years as the head of FX and fixed income prime brokerage legal at Deutsche Bank, London. She had also held a senior role with global law firm Linklaters, advising on private equity acquisitions, cross-border financings and complex structured finance transactions.
With a passion for social justice, Ms Hong served for five years as the director and chair of the development committee at YWCA Housing (YWCA Victoria), working to provide accommodation and other services to disadvantaged women.
“Yien’s impressive executive career, strong legal background and solid understanding of governance, underpinned with a strong sense of social justice makes her an excellent fit for AFCA and an important addition to the board,” said Professor Pollaers.
The AFCA board consists of an independent chair and an equal number of directors with consumer and industry experience.
The appointments become effective on 1 January 2024, when they replace board members Claire Mackay and Andrew Fairley.
“Claire and Andrew played such an important part in AFCA’s first five years as founding directors,” Professor Pollaers said. “They both provided invaluable knowledge and expertise during their tenures and we thank them for the significant contributions they have made in helping AFCA to become the world-class ombudsman service it is today.”
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