Key facts
- Shemara Wikramanayake will retire as Macquarie Group CEO on November 6.
- Greg Ward has been appointed as the new CEO.
- Macquarie reported higher net profits from its commodities and global markets segment.
- Contributions from Macquarie Asset Management decreased due to a business divestment.
Macquarie Group announced that Chief Executive Shemara Wikramanayake will retire on November 6, with Greg Ward, current Head of Banking and Financial Services, named as her successor. Wikramanayake, who has been with the company for nearly four decades, steered Macquarie through market expansions and the COVID-19 pandemic. The company reported higher net profits from its commodities and global markets segment. However, contributions from Macquarie Asset Management decreased due to the divestment of its North American and European public investments business. Wikramanayake previously became the first woman to top Australia's highest-paid CEO list in 2019, with a significant weekly salary. She has also been recognized for her work on climate change and sustainable development.