NAB adds Chief Technology and Operations Officer to team

National Australia Bank (NAB) has announced the appointment of Patrick Wright to the role of chief technology and operations officer, effective May 2017.

He will join from Barclays in the US where he is the global chief operations and technology officer of Barclaycard, leading a team of 15,000 people, a role he has held since 2015.

Wright's financial services career started in 1991 at JP Morgan Chase where he spent 17 years in a variety of roles in e-commerce, audit, sourcing, information technology and retail banking. In 2008 he joined banking services provider, Wincor Nixdorf as US president and CEO. He joined Barclays in 2012.

Commenting on his appointment, NAB group CEO, Andrew Thorburn, said: "As we reshape our business, Patrick will lead our simplification, digitisation and automation agenda to deliver greater efficiency...He has extensive experience in driving major transformations in large financial service companies and innovating in fast-paced, competitive and highly-regulated markets."

Joining Wright at NAB is former NSW Premier, Mike Baird, who takes on the role of chief customer officer, corporate and institutional banking and Sharon Cook, who has been appointed chief legal and commercial counsel.

Wright, who will be based in Melbourne, replaces Matthew Lawrance, who has been acting in the role of chief technology and operations officer since July 2016.