Wayne Evans, Group CEO of SBS Bank, died suddenly yesterday afternoon, of natural causes.
“Wayne was a vibrant and respected leader of our organisation," the bank says in a statement. "His passion and strategic leadership will be acutely missed. Our heartfelt condolences go to Wayne’s family.”
Out of respect for Wayne’s family, we will not be making any further comment at this stage.
Evans, 49, was appointed chief executive of the Invercargill-based bank in July 2014, replacing long serving CEO Ross Smith. Prior to that he ran the bank's personal lending subsidiary Finance Now.
Just over a month ago the bank rolled out a rebranding campaign, which has been spear-headed with a 3.99% one-year fixed rate.
Smith was a swimming enthusiast and father of four.
In February 2013, he became the seventh person to swim the Foveaux Strait and had planned to swim Cook Strait this year. He also held records for swimming across Lake Te Anau and Lake Wakatipu.
