NAB CEO Andrew Thorburn casts doubt over tenure

Under-siege NAB chief Andrew Thorburn concedes there are no guarantees he’ll last out the week.

05/02/19 NAB CEO Andrew Thorburn arrives to his Middle Park home after work. Aaron Francis/The Australian

National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Thorburn has said he can’t guarantee he’ll be in the top job by Friday, following the scathing attack he received in the royal commission recommendations which were released on Monday.

Speaking with ABC program The Business’ Elysse Morgan on Tuesday night, Mr Thorburn said he “can’t guarantee” his tenure.

“But I can tell you that I am more committed and more deeply determined than ever to be a strong leader for our company and help us become the sort of company we want to be,” he said.

Will NAB CEO Andrew Thorburn survive the week? He can't confirm that/

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— Elysse Morgan (@ElysseMorgan) February 5, 2019

His statements come after Mr Thorburn told The Australian on Tuesday that he would remain in the role and review and revised the bank’s current strategy to improve culture and governance.

Mr Thorburn and NAB chairman Ken Henry were both urged by the prime minister and the opposition leader to consider their positions after they were singled out by Commissioner Hayne.

Mr Hayne’s final report said that NAB’s leaders had not accepted “necessary responsibility” for misconduct, including charging fees for no service, and said he feared there may be a gap between the public face of the bank and what it does in practice.

Late last year, The Australian revealed that Mr Thorburn had planned to take a period of extended leave in January and February, but would return to the bank for several days in late January, to oversee its response to the royal commission’s final report.

Mr Thorburn, who has since cancelled his long-service leave, defended that decision on Tuesday.

“I think it’s a bit unreasonable to think that people in any walk of life shouldn’t take some time out to refresh, think about the future and spend some time reflecting so that they can lead more strongly in the future,” he said on air on Tuesday .