The lender has announced a successor to the late Andrew Moor
EQB has named Chadwick Westlake as president and chief executive officer, appointing the company’s former CFO to the position vacated after the passing of Andrew Moor in June.
The lender said on Wednesday that Westlake would assume the role on August 25, with Marlene Lenarduzzi remaining as interim president and chief executive officer until that date.
The news marks what EQB described as the final step in “years-long planning” for Moor’s succession. Westlake’s previous tenure as the company’s top finance executive lasted over four years, a spell that saw the lender purchase Concentra Bank and ACM Advisors as well as expanding its capital markets division.
His career has also included a near-two-decade stint at Scotiabank, and he briefly left EQB in March to lead finance operations at software company Open Text Corp.
Westlake, who will also join EQB’s board of directors, replaces the highly-respected Moor, who passed unexpectedly last month after a hugely influential career in the banking space.
Board chair Vincenzo Sera said in a statement the company, alongside Moor, had reviewed "many outstanding candidates" for the role before settling on Westlake.
Meanwhile, Westlake said EQB held a strong market position, "with its full potential still to be unleashed," and paid tribute to Moor's leadership in building a "remarkable" financial institution.
The committee to tap Moor's successor was led by board director Susan Ericksen, the company said, assisted by a global recruitment firm.
Westlake takes the reins at a company whose combined assets under management and administration have swelled to nearly $135 billion, making it Canada's largest bank by assets outside the traditional Big Six lending giants.
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