National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Irvine says he was stung by criticism of his socialising, which drew scrutiny from the board, but defended the way he engages with clients and his leadership style.

In his first public appearance since The Australian Financial Review reported that institutional investors had raised concerns about management style and drinking at customer meetings with directors, Irvine said it had been a “difficult” week, and the criticism had been “hard for me and my family”.