NAB drops GM brand experience role in marketing function reshuffle

NAB is dropping its GM of brand experience role and elevating a number of brand managers to directly report to the CMO as part of a reshuffle of its marketing function.

NAB outgoing CMO, Andrew Knott, confirmed the departure this week of the bank’s general manager of brand experience, Michael Nearhos, as part of a realignment of the marketing function aimed at improving the way brand experience is managed.

As a result, NAB’s head of group brand and head of media and partnerships will now both directly report to the CMO, while other brand experience teams will report into other members of the marketing leadership team.

In a statement, Knott thanks Nearhos for his five-year contribution to the team, highlighting his work to reposition the NAB and MLA brands through initiatives such as the overarching ‘More than Money’ campaign, NAB AFL Mini Legends and NAB AFL Women’s, plus MLC ‘Let’s Save retirement’ and MLC ‘Life Unchanging’ campaigns.

“Michael has been an outstanding and tireless contributor to NAB, and it is because of his work leading the repositioning of both the NAB and MLC brands that this structural change to NAB marketing is possible,” he said.

“Personally, I thank Michael for his friendship, counsel and passionate focus on NAB’s customer, brands and in our people.”

Nearhos said he’d enjoyed five diverse years at the NAB. He has not confirmed his next professional move.

“From transforming our brands and communications, to supporting young people and women in sport, I’ve loved leading such a passionate and talented team of people to deliver strong customer, community and business impacts,” he said.

As part the executive changes, NAB’s enterprise events team will now report to GM of business marketing, Suzana Ristevski, while local area marketing will be under the jurisdiction of the GM of consumer marketing, Karen Ganschow. These two senior leaders were brought on by Knott 18 months ago as part of a new-look marketing leadership team. NAB’s content and social team will also now be the responsibility of GM of digital marketing, Dylan Keath.

The changes come just weeks after NAB confirmed the forthcoming departure of Knott in July after a two-and-a-half year stint with the bank. A NAB spokesperson said the bank hopes to announce an acting CMO shortly.

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