National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Irvine says last week’s public scrutiny was hard for him and his family, after it was reported that investors had raised concerns about his management style and drinking at customer events.
Irvine was speaking on a panel at a conference put on by the Australian Banking Association, which he chairs, when he made his first public comments addressing the issue.
“I’ve just got to get through it”: NAB chief executive Andrew Irvine.Credit: Oscar Colman
“Last week was difficult, I’m not going to beat around the bush, especially when media is quite personal and public. So it was hard for me and for my family,” Irvine said to outgoing ABA chief executive Anna Bligh, who is a former premier of Queensland.
“I expect that there’s public scrutiny in roles like this, you just hope that it’s even-handed and balanced as you kind of go through it. I’m sure you’ve experienced this as a politician in the past and many public figures will experience media,” he said. “I’ve just got to get through it.
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“I love the job that I do, it’s a real privilege to run the National Australia Bank. There’s a real noble purpose in what we do – helping people navigate their financial lives – and that gives me energy.”
The comments come after The Australian Financial Review reported last week that major investors had raised concerns about Irvine’s management style and drinking at customer meetings and events with the bank’s directors.
The report said the issues about his management approach were raised with NAB chairman Phil Chronican at an investor lunch in Sydney last month, citing unnamed sources.
Last week, the bank published a statement backing Irvine, who has been overseas. “Andrew Irvine and the NAB leadership team are delivering sound financial and operational results … the board’s support for Andrew and his team is unchanged,” an NAB spokeswoman said last week.
