The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has appointed an expert in open systems architecture, investment management software and systems development to its top technology post.

Ralph Norris, the CBA's chief executive officer, said Michael Harte, whose most recent position was executive vice president and chief information officer of investment funds administrator PNC Financial Services, would join the bank in April as group executive, technology services.

Harte's appointment follows the departure of predecessor Bob McKinnon towards the end of last year to take on the post of chief financial officer and an executive director of Multiplex Group.

Harte takes the post following the completion of a technology review which will contribute to the CBA's customer service strategy, to be detailed next month. The CBA is looking to the next stage of its development after the completion of the bulk of the AU$1.5 billion Which new Bank program, which included the in-house built CommSee customer relationship management system.