Mr Russell has taken over from retired solicitor and former Mayor of Lake Macquarie John Kilpatrick who served as chairman for three years and as a director for 13 years. Mr Kilpatrick will remain a Greater Building Society director as well as the chairman of the independent Greater Charitable Foundation.

Mr Russell said that there were challenging times ahead in the financial services industry but that the Greater Building Society was financially strong and well placed to continue to provide Australians with competitive rates, low fees and excellent customer service.

Mr Russell thanked Mr Kilpatrick for his work in continuing to build the Greater’s strong foundations and paid tribute to Mr Kilpatrick’s good sense of strategy.

“The Greater has a committed and excellent management team and staff and I look forward to leading this team on a path of further growth for the benefit of our current and future customers,” Mr Russell said.

Mr Russell joined the Greater’s Board in May of this year. He is a partner in the Maitland based accountancy firm Farrow Wyatt where he leads its Audit Division. He is a member of the executive and immediate past president of the Australian Financial Institutions Auditors Association. He is a graduate and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a registered company auditor and approved financial institution auditor.

The Greater Building Society is one of Australia’s top 200 private companies (BRW) with assets worth almost $5 billion. It provides a full range of financial services to almost 250,000 customers across regional NSW, Sydney, Gold Coast and Townsville. The Greater was named Best Home Lender, Best Savings Account Provider and Best Building Society at the 2011 Mozo People’s Choice Awards and is the Australian Banking and Finance Awards’ Building Society of the Year.

Greater Board – November 2011


Wayne Russell - Chairman
Roger Cracknell
Jayne Drinkwater
John Kilpatrick
Malcolm McDonald
Scott Robinson – Deputy Chairman
Russell Ware


Media information: Craig Eardley on 0437 477 493. Image of Wayne Russell available.