Andrew Thorburn


Andrew Thorburn is an Australian-based businessman and a former CEO of Bank of NZ, and also of National Australia Bank.

Early life

Thorburn was born in Melbourne and is a dual Australian-NZ citizen. His mother is a New Zealander.

Banking career

Thorburn joined ASB Bank in AUCKLAND, NZ in 1986. He moved to Sydney to join the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in 1997, and then joined St George Bank in 2002. He moved to NAB in January 2005 as Head of Retail Banking. In 2008 he was appointed to be CEO of BNZ, and in 2014 the CEO of NAB.
At NAB he moved to divest of non core assets and focus on Aust/NZ. He launched a transformation of NAB in 2017 involving greater investment in technology, a reduction in costs, and an investment in business banking.
The period overlapped with the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking and Superannuation industry. Thorburn resigned from NAB in February 2019 after the final report of the Royal Commission. At the time, he said “As CEO I understand accountability. I have always sought to act in the best interests of the bank and customers and I know that I have always acted with integrity. However, I recognise there is a desire for change”.

Beyond Banking

As of February 2020, Thorburn was “exploring a number of areas of potential future involvement, including supporting entrepreneurs, venture capital and impact investing, and enabling purpose drive companies with growth ambitions”.

Education

Thorburn holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland, and an MBA from the University of Durham, UK. He is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Banking and Finance.

Personal

Thorburn has been married to his wife Kathryn since 1987, and they have 3 adult children. He has spoken openly about his Christian faith.