SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Great Western Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:GWB) today announced that its stockholders have elected all three nominated directors to its Board of Directors. The vote was approved at Great Western’s annual shareholder meeting on February 9, 2015. The re-elected directors include Daniel Rykhus, Swati Dave and Rolfe Lakin.
“These three directors have diverse backgrounds and experiences and will ensure a broad range of skills and perspectives for the Great Western Board,” said Ken Karels, President and Chief Executive Officer at Great Western Bancorp, Inc. “They share a commitment to corporate governance and an adherence to the mission, vision and values of our company.”
Daniel Rykhus is President and CEO of Raven Industries. He has 23 years of managerial experience and three years of experience as a director and audit committee member for Great Western Bank. As a leader of a publicly listed company with a market capitalization of over $1 billion dollars, Mr. Rykhus also brings several years of public company corporate governance experience to the Great Western Board.
Swati Dave is Executive General Manager of National Australia Bank Limited (NAB), majority stockholder of GWBCI. She has more than 25 years of experience in commercial banking and finance experience with NAB, Deutsche Bank, AMP Henderson Global Investors, Bankers Trust Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. She has vast operating, management and leadership experience throughout the banking industry.
Rolfe Lakin is General Manager and Chief Financial Officer for NAB New York Branch, NAB London Branch and NAB’s Specialized Group Assets line of business. He has over 35 years of banking experience, with over 25 years in wholesale banking markets in London. He also has experience in treasury management. Mr. Lakin brings operating, management and leadership insights to the board.
Additionally, the stockholders ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as Great Western’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015.
About Great Western Bancorp, Inc.
Great Western Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for Great Western Bank, a full-service regional bank focused on relationship-based business and agribusiness banking. Great Western Bank offers small and mid-sized businesses a focused suite of financial products and a range of deposit and loan products to retail customers through several channels, including the branch network, online banking system, mobile banking applications and customer care centers. The bank services its customers through 163 branches in seven states: South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Kansas and Missouri. To learn more about Great Western Bank visit www.greatwesternbank.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements about Great Western’s expectations, beliefs, plans, predictions, forecasts, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “could,” “may,” “predicts,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “estimate,” “plans,” “projects,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expects,” “intends” and similar words or phrases. In particular, the statements included in this press release concerning Great Western’s expected performance and strategy, and the interest rate environment, in fiscal year 2015, are not historical facts and are forward-looking. Accordingly, the forward-looking statements in this press release are only predictions and involve estimates, known and unknown risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed. All forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates of future results, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations, and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed in the section titled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Great Western’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and Great Western undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
