Born and bred Kalgoorlie resident Keith Lee, will return to his home town this year to take up the position of Relationship Manager for BankWest in what is bank's fiftieth anniversary in Kalgoorlie.
BankWest, which started as the Rural and Industries Bank of Western Australia opened its first branch in Kalgoorlie in 1957.
Rural and Regional State Manager Jim Watson said Kalgoorlie was still considered one of the major mining centres in Australia and has always been an extremely important region for the bank.
"We've seen immense change in Kalgoorlie over the last fifty year - not just in terms of banking, but also in the way the town has grown to be a major hub in regional Western Australia," he said.
"It is a very important region for BankWest and fifty years in Kalgoorlie gives us extraordinary depth in understanding the region and economic conditions."
Keith said he was excited about moving back to his home town, and the place where he started his career in banking.
"My new role will focus on the management of the commercial/business portfolio with new and existing BankWest customers."
BankWest started as the Agricultural Bank of Western Australia in 1895 and was built on the back of the farming and rural sector.
Keith said Kalgoorlie was currently experiencing buoyant times mainly due to the boom in the resources sector.
"Like many places in Western Australia at the moment, the boom in the resources sector flows through to the local economy, local businesses and residential markets," he said.
"I see my role as helping new and existing clients benefit from this boom so they too can prosper from these buoyant times."
Keith returns to Kalgoorlie after spending the last three years in Bunbury. He is an experienced rural and regional Relationship Manager and has managed finances for farming, commercial and business clients.
"I love the culture and history of the Goldfields so I'm looking forward to returning to my hometown."
Rural and Regional State Manager Jim Watson said BankWest remained committed to rural and regional Western Australia and had continuing growth plans in the region.
"We've been in Kalgoorlie for fifty years and our aim remains clear - we want to provide the rural and regional sector with managers who understand their business and offer specialised service to the agriculture, business and commercial sectors."
You can visit Keith Lee at BankWest in Kalgoorlie for more information, or to speak to him simply call 0417 952 437, Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.
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Media Inquiries:
Bridget Tombleson
Media Relations Manager
HBOS Australia
bridget.tombleson@hbosa.com.au
Tel: (08) 9449 6768 or 0407 084 359
About BankWest Business
BankWest Business provides a full range of core and specialist business banking products and services to all business market segments from small business to large corporates. From market leading transaction and investment accounts through to flexible business loans and sophisticated Financial Market and International Trade products, we are an organisation committed to making a meaningful difference in the financial services marketplace with our simple and straightforward products. Our energetic approach and attitude aims to reject the status quo and present a significant challenge to the conventions and the competition.
BankWest Business has a presence in capital cities, rural areas and regional locations throughout Australia. We focus on key markets including Property Finance, Small Business, Commercial, Rural and Regional and Corporate.
We also offer a flexible range of products and competitive lending guidelines across specialist industries such as Aged Care, Childcare, Hotels/Accommodation, Franchise and Pharmacy. We recognise the value of the going concern of a business, along with the value of its people and brand, not just its fixed assets or balance sheet.
Our business banking managers have been selected for their industry knowledge and experience and take the time to get to know their customers' business to find the best products and services to meet their needs.
BankWest has been around for more than 100 years and is now part of the HBOS Australia group with assets of over $39 billion. Backed by our parent company HBOS plc, one of the world's largest financial services groups, we are providing a fresh customer experience and challenging the Australian market. BankWest is the fastest growing business bank in Australia*, and because we are growing, we will try harder to help grow your business.
*Measured by market share growth, number of new managers hired and number of new Business Banking Centres opened.
