Elsa Markula announced as ARCA’s new CEO

The Chairman of the Australian Retail Credit Association Peter Wilson AM announced today that Elsa Markula has been appointed ARCA’s new CEO, and will take up the position from 1 August. Elsa is currently Executive Director Regulatory Affairs at ARCA and has worked at ARCA since 2013, playing a key role in the development of comprehensive credit reporting (CCR) in Australia.

Prior to joining ARCA Elsa was a case manager at the Financial Ombudsman Service in Victoria, and before that worked as a solicitor in a number of legal practices, having been admitted to practice law in September 2005.

In announcing the appointment Peter Wilson AM commented “the Board undertook an extensive search over 4 months involving both internal and external candidates, and it is testament to the depth of talent in ARCA and Elsa’s own ability and experience that she has been appointed. The Board looks forward to working with Elsa on continuing to develop the important role ARCA plays in the credit reporting industry and supporting consumers and industry make better credit decisions.”

In accepting the role Elsa said “ARCA is a fantastic organisation, staffed by an extremely passionate and experienced team. I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead this team as we seek to both consolidate and expand our role within industry and continue to build greater awareness of data and the critical role data has in credit decisioning and management.”

Peter Wilson AM also thanked the outgoing CEO Mike Laing for his service to ARCA over 10 years, saying “Mike has been at the helm of ARCA during a period of enormous change as ARCA has supported the introduction of comprehensive credit reporting in Australia. The Board is also grateful that when he announced his decision to stand down as CEO in March he was willing to stay on and ensure a smooth transition to the new CEO.