ARCA Executive Team
Elsa Markula
CEO
Elsa is the CEO of the Australian Retail Credit Association (ARCA). Appointed to this role in August 2022, Elsa was previously the Executive Director, Regulatory, where she led a number of policy initiatives and was responsible for providing advice on a range of issues related to credit reporting and credit management.
Having worked at ARCA for almost 10 years, Elsa has played a pivotal role in the initial drafting and ongoing variations to the Credit Reporting Code, the development of an industry code for data exchange and the review and operation of the Australian Credit Reporting Data Standard (ACRDS).
Previously, Elsa worked at the Financial Ombudsman Service and, prior to that, worked in private practice as a legal practitioner focusing on general and civil litigation.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland.
Michael Blyth
General Manager – Policy & Advocacy
Michael has more than 20 years' experience in financial services, including as a senior manager is ASIC’s Deposit-takers, Credit and Insurers team.
Starting his career at Consumer Credit Legal Service (Vic), Michael has also held senior legal and compliance roles at NAB, GE Money and ME Bank. Michael recently led the work to update the Credit Reporting Code to reflect the new financial hardship reporting regime.
Wendy Barker
General Manager – Data and Advisory
Wendy is a Senior Risk Management professional with more than 20 years of experience working in the financial services and telecommunication sectors across a vast range of product suites and global markets.
Wendy’s responsibilities include management of the Australian Credit Reporting Data Standard (ACRDS), and providing guidance on best practice credit reporting.
Becky Fishburn
General Manager – PRDE and Industry Policy
Becky Becky is ARCA’s General Manager – PRDE and Industry Policy, she is responsible for managing the Principles of Reciprocity and Data Exchange.
Becky has over 20 years’ experience of Retail Risk Management in Financial Services in Australia and the UK, including a detailed knowledge on Comprehensive Credit Reporting and Risk Management Strategy.
Richard McMahon
General Manager – Government & Regulatory
Richard is ARCA’s General Manager – Government and Regulatory. He leads policy development initiatives, including changes to the Credit Reporting Code, and is responsible for ARCA’s relationships with Government stakeholders.
Prior to joining ARCA, Richard spent over ten years at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, leading teams working on technical legal and policy issues relating to consumer credit and banking. He has also worked at Commonwealth Treasury on superannuation law reforms and at a boutique funds management company. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University.
Tersia van Rooyen
General Manager – Integrated Marketing
Tersia manages ARCA’s consumer education initiative, CreditSmart. CreditSmart is a self-help website for consistent, unbiased information around how credit reporting operates in Australia. The CreditSmart website guide and help consumers take control of their credit health.
Before joining ARCA, Tersia managed the D2C e-commerce division for TransUnion Credit Bureau in South Africa.
Mary Vancea
General Manager – Legal & Policy
Mary started with ARCA in 2021 as Senior Legal Counsel and provides legal advice and support on a variety of issues. She has also led a number of policy initiatives which has included preparing incisive submissions and frequent engagement with government, regulators and other key stakeholders on a range of policy and legal matters.
Mary has worked in financial services for more than 15 years, including with the Financial Ombudsman Services, as well as working in-house as Senior Legal Counsel with an ASX Listed company.
Mary holds a Masters of Law as well as a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law from Monash University.
Dimitri Diamantes
General Manager – Policy Regulation
Dimitri has worked in policy and regulation for both associations and business. His roles have covered implementation and compliance as well as policy development and advocacy.
In his spare time, Dimitri enjoys working out, bushwalking and a bit of socialising.