John McFarlane OBE

Why did you choose Cranfield?

John McFarlane, former chief executive of the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), chose to study at Cranfield because he felt that the faculty struck a good balance between theoretical approaches and practical case study learning. He also liked the sense of community at Cranfield and felt that the School’s location in the Bedfordshire countryside meant that he could focus on his studies without too many distractions.

What was Cranfield's impact

John McFarlane is Executive Chairman of Aviva. He retired as chief executive of the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), one of Australia's leading banks in 2007, after turning around the financial performance of the bank, and spearheading an effort, called "Breakout", to transform the organisation.

McFarlane began his career in manufacturing with Ford, and it was while he was with Ford that he decided to study at Cranfield in order to broaden his skills and accelerate his career. He subsequently had a long and distinguished career in banking, including with Standard Chartered and Citibank. He has been awarded the OBE and the Australian Centenary Medal.