Maria T.

MD, Chief Operating Officer, Group CIO @ Standard Chartered

About

Maria Ternezis brings with her 25 years of Financial Markets, Transformation delivery and Technology experience having worked globally for some of the premier institutions in the world; Lend Lease, Deutsche Bank, Barclays Investment Bank, Westpac Group and First Abu Dhabi Bank. She is known as an energetic leader who walks the talk, having used methods of working such as crowdsourcing, simplification, fast fail and disruption before they were buzzwords. Among her many strengths is her ability to solution in a non-traditional manner and build sticky teams who run the business as their own. Known for her direct and transparent leadership style, Maria’s challenge to institutions has always been for them to be authentic; “You say you want to make a difference – you say you care about the customer, yet you keep doing the same things. Engaging the same external experts, hiring from the same pools, promoting the same way, putting everyone in a box. Only when you start to think outside these boxes – only when you stop outsourcing your problems will you finally be wearing the ThinkInCap that enables you to solution for the future.” “ Consultants coin the buzz words that keep your boards happy. But is that really good enough? What is their role or are they just an easy hedge for the accountability of your own leadership?” “ Cut that Gordian Knot. You will be surprised at the results.”

Country

City

Singapore

Industry

Executive Office

Skill

Stakeholder Engagement, Work Simplification, Programme Delivery, Culture Change, Senior Stakeholder Management, Program Management, Corporate Communications, Cross-functional Team Leadership, FX, Operational Risk Management, Investment Banking, Financial Markets, Operational Risk, Trading Systems, FX Options, Stakeholder Management, Risk Management, Capital Markets, Derivatives, Equities

Experience

MD, Chief Operating Officer, Group CIO

Standard Chartered

2025-11 - Present · 11 mos

Singapore

Leadership and Program Delivery

Westpac

2024-4 - 2025-10 · 1 yr 7 mos

Sydney

Delivering strategic people and risk management programs to support the Westpac Business run well and actively manage risk. - Strengthening Controls to mitigate the risk for 109 Employment Obligations across the bank (people risk management maturity) - Implementing a new employee listening strategy & tool to support a cultural and performance uplift - Westpac Groupwide Stakeholder engagement across the three lines of defense requiring the ability to influence direction and resolve conflict

Leading Delivery for CORE - Customer Outcomes Risk Excellence

Westpac

2021-8 - 2024-3 · 2 yrs 8 mos

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Led the delivery of Customer Outcome Risk Excellence (CORE) the Regulatory Enforceable Undertaking (EU) imposed on Westpac ($1bn capital add-on). - Accountable for the planning, co-ordination, change management, communication, reporting and execution of the EU Integrated Plan - Accountable for the Packages mechanism that enabled the cadence and disciple for consistent, sustainable delivery across Westpac. - Successful delivery of CORE (19 workstreams, 383 Activities and 5 target states) resulting in culture uplift, clear accountabilities, understanding of the 3 lines of defense, and execution excellence.

Project Implementation Prioritisation Expertise

Iress

2020-9 - 2021-8 · 1 yr

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Delivering Change in the fast paced Superannuation Industry

Digital Transformation and Executive Coach

Lendlease

2019-9 - 2020-6 · 10 mos

Sydney, Australia

COO Technology and Head of Technology Integration Office

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)

2017-4 - 2018-12 · 1 yr 9 mos

Abu Dhabi

Responsible for driving the Technology Integration Programme between FGB and NBAD for the largest bank in the Middle East - First AbuDhabi Bank (FAB). Delivering over 50 Projects across multiple Portfolios, a change management programme impacting existing and future staff and customers, and the Transformation of the Technology workforce that will see FAB lead with a new way of working. This is Portfolio Management on accelerated timelines - requiring expert, hands on delivery talent, agile mindset and delivery mechanisms, a global sourcing methodology, and practical, proactive governance underpinned by outcome focused processes.

COO First Gulf Information Technologies

FGB

2015-8 - 2017-4 · 1 yr 9 mos

Abu Dhabi

Ensuring the Business of Technology runs in an efficient, effective and proactive manner returning maximum shareholder and customer value. Sourced to drive the Commercialisation of the Technology Division of the Bank and build a highly effective and empowered workforce.

CIO Group Services and Group Business Units

Westpac

2014-12 - 2015-6 · 7 mos

Sydney

Accountable executive for the relationship and technology strategy of Westpac Group Services and Group Business units including Operations, Finance, Risk, Legal, Compliance and Human Resources.

Head of Technology Execution and Optimisation

Westpac

2014-2 - 2014-11 · 10 mos

Sydney

Responsible for running the business of technology. Mandate included Mobilising our workforce (people and learning strategy), Delivering change through agile methods, balancing our portfolio through a strong PMO and Tech Risk hub, promoting Technology's delivery working with change management, internal and external communications and optimising our Technology business through a Simplification program (applications, tools, processes) as well as building our own consulting capability.

Head of Strategic Operations

Westpac

2013-7 - 2014-1 · 7 mos

Chief of Staff for Group CIO, preparing Board and strategy papers and establishing the Simplification agenda for Group Technology.

COO, Asia Pac Technology

Barclays Investment Bank

2010-8 - 2013-6 · 2 yrs 11 mos

Executive Director, Head of Business Management

Westpac

2009-9 - 2010-8 · 1 yr

COO function for the Service Delivery Applications Team at Westpac

Executive Director, CIO Global Markets Technology

Westpac

2007-8 - 2009-8 · 2 yrs 1 mo

Sydney, Australia

Head of Financial Markets Technology

Westpac

2005-7 - 2009-8 · 4 yrs 2 mos

SVP, Head of FX & Commodities Technology Asia Pac

Deutsche Bank

2001-1 - 2004-12 · 4 yrs

Sydney, Singapore, London

Responsible for running the Technology for the FX & Commodities business in AsiaPac (incl Japan). Introduced a multi million Euro saving initiative through the execution of a Hub and Spoke Follow the sun Support Model and new people strategy.

Head of Technology: Operations, Finance and Optimisation

Deutsche Bank

1997-3 - 2001-1 · 3 yrs 11 mos

Sydney

Responsible for various Straight Through process Initiatives from Front Office to Back, including the roll out of reconciliation engine. Other projects including readying the technology landscape for the new Euro currency, Y2K and the Merger of BT and Deutsche (Investment Bank side)