Kiwibank has updated its digital and technology arm with two appointments to its leadership team, the bank has announced.

In upper management, Ranjit Jayanandhan will be the general manager for foundation tech experience hub, while David Palmer takes on the role of general manager for customer offerings and new platforms.

It comes following the company's recent prioritisation of its digital transformation, which began with the appointment of the current chief digital and technology officer, Hamish Rumbold, in 2019.

Rumbold says the newly formed leadership team is united around its passion for using emerging technology to create improved experiences for customers and the internal team.

“Over the past year as we've implemented new solutions and made some great gains such as shorter turn arounds for home lending customers, a reduction in call-wait times, and we've implemented a digital ID solution for new credit card applications,” says Rumbold.

“Our digital and technology team are working more closely than ever with teams from around the bank, so that we can better understand the needs, challenges, and opportunities of both our customers and teams.

Palmer joins Kiwibank after working for Macquarie Bank in Sydney, where he was the global programme director. A banking veteran, he has also worked for several European banks when he was based in the UK, including Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Jayanandhan joins after a stint with ANZ Bank in New Zealand, where he worked as a technical area lead (engineering manager).

He has a background in mathematics and engineering and worked in the United States for more than a decade before moving to New Zealand in 2016.

The two new hires come after a prominent tech appointment in November last year: Greg Montgomery as the general manager of engineering. Montgomery joined from Soul Machines, a company specialising in artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, where he was vice president of cloud and platform engineering.

Montgomery's career spans more than 25 years, during which he was also Chief Technology Officer at TVNZ.

Rumbold says the last few months of appointments, which focus heavily on the company's digital and technology branch, indicate Kiwibank's focus on keeping up with the fast pace of emerging technologies in 2021.

“It's an exciting time as we continue to invest in our people and foundational technology with the end goal of providing an unbeatable customer and team experience,” continues Rumbold.

“We want to be the first choice of bank for New Zealanders while delivering on our purpose to make Kiwi better off.”