BSP appoints first female chief operating officer

THE Bank South Pacific Financial Group Ltd has appointed Nuni Kulu as the group chief operating officer, making her the first woman to have a leadership role in the bank.
BSP Group chief executive officer Mark Robinson said Kulu’s role was important to the bank because it required a leader who fostered relationships based on integrity, operational efficiency of the bank and built internal team capability through process improvement.
Robinson said Kulu understood how to work in complex and challenging environments, and her deep knowledge of banking, digital, and connection to customer and community would support the bank to continue transforming its services.
“BSP is proud to support women in leadership through meritocracy, and BSP invests in the development of both male and female leaders and encourages Papua New Guineans to excel in their areas of expertise,” he said.
Kulu’s appointment came after the resignation of Frank van der Poll.
She will now be responsible for BSP’s operations functions in PNG and six Pacific Island countries.
With a career spanning over 25 years in the banking industry, Kulu entered as a graduate trainee in 1998, before moving into retail banking in 2019.
She worked in various roles before being appointed general manager and led the first digital strategy business unit of the bank.
Meanwhile, Kulu said she was privileged to shape the operations of the bank across the Pacific and was committed to make banking easier for customers.
“I am honoured to assume the chief operating officer position within the Group and I hope to inspire to mentor other to take on similar leadership roles,” she said.
Kulu hails from Manus and holds a bachelor in commerce degree from the Australia National University. BSP chairman Robert Bradshaw said the bank was delighted to see the investment it had made to promote women as executive leaders.