The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has announced the appointment of Susan Woods as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Woods will relinquish her current role as Assistant Governor of RBA’s Corporate Services to assume the newly created COO position.
According to an RBA press release, Woods commenced her tenure as Assistant Governor of Corporate Services in 2018. In this capacity, she supervised the Information Technology and Workplace divisions and the Enterprise Data Office. During her term, she guided the RBA through substantial technological changes, a refurbishment of the bank's headquarters, and an enhancement in data governance and strategic planning capabilities.
The press release also indicates that Woods will commence her new duties as COO on March 4, 2024. In this role, she is expected to work closely with the Deputy Governor to streamline policy, operational and organisational decision-making processes. Furthermore, she will collaborate with the Governor to implement recommendations from the "Review of the Reserve Bank of Australia."
The "Review of the Reserve Bank of Australia," an independent assessment initiated by Australia's Department of Treasury in July 2022 and concluded in March 2023, suggested that the RBA appoint a COO to enhance system processes and foster a more agile organisation.
Woods joined the bank in 2018 with over three decades of private sector experience under her belt, according to the press release. As General Manager of Business Technology & Transformation at StatePlus, she was accountable for IT management, designing and implementing a new operating model for business operations and managing enterprise strategic project portfolios. She also served as a partner in strategy and operations consulting at Deloitte while holding senior positions at Capgemini and Ernst & Young.