Local Government and Business Community Welcomes BankWest to Wollongong

The Hon David Campbell MP, NSW Minister for Police and the Illawarra, and key members of the local business community welcomed BankWest to Wollongong on Wednesday night at the official opening of the BankWest Business Banking Centre at The Platinum Building, Level 1, 53-61 Crown Street Wollongong.
BankWest, part of the HBOS Australia group, is providing specialised banking services to businesses in the area and this is a significant milestone in BankWest's expansion plans.

At the official opening Gary Johnson, Head of Commercial Banking and Julie Rynski, Head of Business Banking, said the new centre is another key milestone in BankWest's blitz on key business banking markets across Australia.
"We are the fastest growing business bank in Australia because our customers know we're trying harder than the competition to help their business grow. We've listened to feedback from businesses in many different areas and identified a clear need for specialised banking services across various industry sectors," Mr Johnson said.
"Wollongong was a natural choice for our Business Centre because of its strong economic growth.  The diverse mixture of commercial and industrial areas influenced our decision to open this dedicated Business Banking Centre," Ms Rynski added.
David Campbell, Minister for the Illawarra, welcomed the establishment of the BankWest Business Banking Centre in Wollongong.

"It's great to see BankWest bringing new competition to the region and investing in the Wollongong. This is a win-win for the Illawarra. BankWest sees the inherent opportunities delivered through the region's high rate of home ownership and booming small business sector and locals will win through better deals and services from the new competition," Mr Campbell said.
BankWest has a growth strategy to become a significant force in Australian financial services, through a strategy focusing on driving competition and change in the banking industry, and has enjoyed considerable success over the last few years.  BankWest is stepping up its assault on the Australian banking industry with the roll-out of a new retail and commercial banking network. It is the largest branch expansion program ever undertaken in Australia and will challenge the dominance of the Big Four banks.

There will be many new branches in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia servicing the needs of both retail customers and businesses.  The first new BankWest stores are now open in a number of Sydney suburbs including Miranda, Parramatta, Mount Druitt, Penrith, Chatswood, Hornsby, Burwood and Bondi Junction with a number set to open before the end of 2008.

The team at Wollongong currently consists of Paul Harrison - Senior Business Development Manager; Commercial Business Development Manager Glenn McLennan; Assistant Relationship Managers Edwina Horton and John Satchell; Relationship Support Officer Marcia Gooley. Dennis Felgate and Angela Williams are the Business Banking Business Development Managers and they are all supported by a team of professional bankers.
"We have made a significant investment in our future here in Wollongong.  We have a modern business bank premises with the latest technology and systems and, more importantly, we have recruited the very best bankers in the local area," Ms Rynski said.

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 has been around for more than 100 years and is now part of the HBOS Australia group with assets of over $50 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.

Sally-Ann Parker, +61 (2) 8299 8453
Bridget Tombleson, +61 (8) 9449 6768
Brooke Stoddart, +61 (2) 8299 8694

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