Part of the international Rabobank Group the firms Australian unit has appointed a new CEO for Rabobank Australia and Managing Director for the Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group.
Rabobank claims to be the world’s leading specialist food and agribusiness bank, and is one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest rural lenders. Based in Sydney the bank is also a major provider of corporate and business banking services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector.
Peter Knoblanche has been named as the new Chief Executive, he will succeed Thos Gieskes, who has served in these positions for six and a half years.
Chinese Interest
Knoblanche has been Deputy CEO for Rabobank Australia and Deputy Managing Director for Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group since August 2015. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the Australian and international banking industry, previously working in roles with HSBC (in Australia and Hong Kong) and ANZ.
China has been snapping up large tranches of farmland in Australia and is the biggest foreign investor in New Zealand's dairy industry, which includes milk processing.
Subject to regulatory approval, the appointment of Knoblanche will be effective from July 1, 2016.
