Executive Management

Paul commenced in the role of CEO on 1 November 2019 and is also a Director on the Board. He first joined Great Southern Bank (formerly CUA) in February 2018 as Chief Sales Officer with responsibility for leading sales channels, including branches, call centres in Sydney and Melbourne, the broker channel and our insurance partnership. In addition to sales and service, Paul was responsible for ensuring strategic projects were effectively rolled out and embedded across the retail network to deliver positive outcomes for customers and frontline staff.

With over 17 years’ experience in leadership positions, Paul has held numerous retail banking executive roles in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia.

Prior to joining Great Southern Bank, Paul was the Senior Head of Strategy and Transformation at Westpac, where his role included leading the planning and delivery of Westpac’s distribution strategy, including the footprint and branch concepts for the retail network. Paul has also held a variety of senior executive roles within ANZ in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, including three years as General Manager of the ANZ Australian Retail Branch Network. In this role, Paul was responsible for leading more than 800 branches and 7,000 employees before being seconded to Malaysia for two years as the Managing Director, Retail Banking for AmBank.

Paul’s professional qualifications include being a graduate of the Senior Executive Management Program at the London Business School and an MBA from Massey University.

Paul was attracted to Great Southern Bank by its proud history of community ownership and innovation. He values the fact Great Southern Bank is owned by its customers and decisions are made to benefit customers.

He is Chairman of Credicorp Finance Pty Ltd, a Director of Credicorp Insurance Pty Ltd and CUA Management Pty Ltd. Paul is also a Director of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals Ltd, a member of the Cuscal Client Advisory Committee and a Foundation Board member of Sacré Coeur, an independent Catholic girls’ school, where he currently serves as Chair of the Allocations and Investments Sub-committee.

Outside of work, Paul spends his weekends training or competing in 50-100km ultra-marathon races with his wife. When they aren’t covering large distances by foot, Paul and his wife love to travel with their three teenage daughters.

Naushad was appointed Great Southern Bank’s Chief Operating Officer in September 2022. He leads the division that delivers, shapes and executes the bank’s service and operational support. Naushad is responsible for leading the loan processing, deposits, payments, financial crime, AML compliance, hardship, collections and the bank’s Customer Contact Centre. Before being appointed to the role, he was Great Southern Bank’s Head of Operations and Continuous Improvement.

Naushad has over 15 years of experience in financial services, with in-depth expertise in wealth management, insurance, stock broking and distribution. Before joining Great Southern Bank, Naushad was Head of Bank Wealth Distribution at Westpac Group, where he was responsible for operations, development, distribution, customer experience and risk for wealth products, including life insurance and superannuation. This builds on his extensive experience in senior executive roles at St George Bank, ETRADE Australia and ANZ Banking Group.

Naushad is enjoying the opportunity to work for a customer-centric organisation, as well as the positive team culture and collaborative way Great Southern Bank teams work together to resolve issues or move from idea to execution.

Naushad has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. He has completed Oxford University’s Fintech Program and the Company Directors Course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Outside work, Naushad has a love of travel and experiencing new cultures, as well as trying out new cuisines and restaurants. He loves spending time with his two young children and supporting his wife’s photography business.

Steve joined Great Southern Bank (formerly CUA) in April 2015. He leads our Small Business Banking division, directing the development and implementation of our strategy to help small businesses.

Prior to this Steve was Chief Operations Officer for the bank, and responsible for strategy, transformation and strategic partnerships. This included responsibility for our subsidiaries Credicorp and also CUA Health prior to its sale in October 2021.

Steve has more than 20 years’ experience in banking operations in Australia. He has extensive experience in building teams and working with them to deliver positive customer outcomes and strong returns. He has held a variety of executive and management roles with ANZ across multiple customer segments including General Manager for Esanda & ANZ Direct Sales, and Queensland State Manager for Regional Business Banking.

Steve’s previous roles have involved understanding and meeting the needs of a diverse range of customers such as third party dealers, agricultural and commercial clients, corporate and retail customers.

He is a director of Mutual Marketplace Pty Ltd and Mutual Marketplace Property Pty Ltd. Steve is also a Director of the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA), where he actively contributes to ensure the ongoing prosperity and success of the many members of the sector.

Steve was attracted to Great Southern Bank being a customer-owned organisation with the aspiration and strategy to adapt to our fast-paced world. He views Great Southern Bank as a financial service provider that crosses the generational divide – one that both his parents and children would be proud to be part of.

Outside of Great Southern Bank, Steve is kept busy by his three sons and volunteers regularly as a basketball coach at the local PCYC. Steve also enjoys international travel with his wife and boys to gain new perspectives and enjoy some family fun. Steve keeps fit by cycling with a like-minded group of cycling enthusiasts from across Great Southern Bank.

Carol-Ann joined Great Southern Bank as Chief Information Officer in January 2023, and is responsible for the development and implementation of the bank’s technology strategy.

With over 30 years' experience leading technology functions and strategic change in private and public sector environments, Carol-Ann has held senior positions in several prominent Australian financial, consulting and Government organisations.

Most recently, Carol-Ann was Executive General Manager for IAG’s core insurance technology across Australia and New Zealand, where she was responsible for delivering key enterprise and regulatory initiatives across personal and commercial lines of business, uplifting technology and workforce capability, strengthening operational performance and risk management, maximising value from strategic partnerships, and embedding a customer focussed approach.

Prior to this, Carol-Ann held a variety of senior leadership roles in Suncorp and the Queensland Government where she led the development of digital, customer, banking and enterprise technology strategies, and oversaw enterprise portfolio management and delivery functions.

Carol-Ann’s professional development includes courses with Stanford University, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and PWC. As a former Executive Sponsor of IAG's Senior Leadership program for women, she brings a passion for mentoring and advancing the participation of women in technology and in leadership roles more broadly.

Outside of work Carol-Ann enjoys travelling and exploring new places with her husband, daughter and friends. She has developed a passion for running (and podcasts) and is working her way through the major marathons. She can often be found at sporting, music and good food events.

Megan joined Great Southern Bank (formerly CUA) in January 2019 and is responsible for building an end-to-end view of Great Southern Bank's customer experience. Megan leads the division responsible for the Sales and Marketing functions. This includes Great Southern Bank’s channels (digital, branch, Great Southern Bank Call Centre, live chat, and broker relationships), insurance partnerships, product, customer experience, marketing, sponsorship, corporate affairs and our sustainability strategy, which shows our commitment to doing business responsibly to benefit our customers and communities, today and tomorrow.

Megan has 20 years’ experience in business strategy and strategic marketing across a broad range of industries including IT, telecommunications, media and finance. Prior to joining Great Southern Bank, Megan was the Vice President of Strategy, Marketing & Change Management at Fujitsu (Oceania) where she led the organisation’s strategy, brand, marketing, public affairs and product management within the region.

She has experience as an executive coach and has also held senior marketing roles at APN News and Media, Infosys, Foxtel and Telstra.

Megan is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the general managers’ program at the Australian Graduate School of Management. She is currently a Director of the National Breast Cancer Foundation and a member of the Griffith Business School Strategic Advisory Board.

Megan noted that since joining Great Southern Bank, she had been impressed by how team members all lived and breathed Great Southern Bank’s Purpose and customer-centric approach, something she’d not experienced in other organisations.

In her free time Megan is an avid reader, loves the beach and enjoys spending time with her family and friends, including her husband and two children.

Tracey joined Great Southern Bank (formerly CUA) in March 2017. She is responsible for leading the Great Southern Bank People and Culture strategy to build future capability and drive a high-performing, networked organisation. Her team looks after the delivery of People and Culture services and initiatives including enterprise change, organisational development and capability, performance management, culture and engagement, diversity, talent acquisition, remuneration and benefits, workplace relations, workplace health, safety and well-being.

Tracey has 14 years’ experience as a human resources executive, with a breadth of human resources and leadership experience including roles at Allianz Global Assistance, Insurance Australia Group, CGU Insurance and The Consultancy Bureau. Tracey’s experience covers both strategic and operational aspects of human resources including recruitment, talent management, change management, learning and development, employee engagement, OH&S, restructures and integrations.

In her most recent role prior to joining Great Southern Bank, Tracey was Executive General Manager for People, Culture & Community and Strategic Projects at Allianz Global Assistance, playing an integral role in contributing to the strategic plan and operational performance of the business.

Tracey is a member of the Australian Human Resource Institute and in 2018 she became a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company of Directors.

Great Southern Bank’s strong values and desire to give back to customers attracted Tracey to Great Southern Bank. She believes Great Southern Bank offers a rewarding and energising work environment through its continued focus on innovation to engage and serve customers.

Outside of Great Southern Bank, Tracey is mum to two children and has two Border Collies. In her spare time, she enjoys playing sport as well as running, cycling, triathlons and 12 Round Functional Fitness. Tracey showed her dedication to the community in late 2017 when she completed a 3-day charity cycling event to western Queensland with Girls Got Heart. As well as raising much needed funds, the event raised awareness for critical health screening checks for residents living in remote parts of Australia.

Alan Lee joined Great Southern Bank as Chief Financial Officer in 2023. A globally experienced finance executive with extensive exposure across retail and wholesale banking, Alan has worked in financial and professional services sectors across Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia, and Australia.

Prior to joining Great Southern Bank Alan was at ING Australia for over 20 years where he held senior roles in risk, home lending, audit and finance.

Most recently he was Chief Financial Officer at ING Bank (Australia) Limited and General Manager of ING Bank (Sydney Branch). In this role he collaborated closely with the CEO and management executives to achieve the bank’s strategy in Australia. Before this Alan was based in Singapore as ING’s Asia Regional Chief Financial Officer.

Having led multi-cultural, hybrid and high-performance teams, Alan is passionate about developing people and building teams that are self-directed, have strategic clarity and are empowered to balance the demands of life while also being achievement focused.

Alan has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland, is a Chartered Accountant and certified Internal Auditor, and attended the Senior Executive Program at the London Business School. In 2018 he received the CFO of the Year award at RFI Group’s Australian Retail Banking Awards.

Outside of work, Alan loves the water – on it, under it or in it – and balances this with spending time in a busy household with his wife Donna and their three teenage children.

Rolf joined Great Southern Bank in December 2021. He leads the development and implementation of the bank’s risk management strategy, and is an experienced banking professional with more than 20 years’ experience gained in his native South Africa, in the UK and in Australia.

He began his career with one of the big four professional services firms in South Africa, before moving to London and progressing through several leadership roles at a large international bank, including Chief Risk Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

After moving to Australia in 2019, Rolf was appointed General Manager of Strategy, Transformation and Business Control at Westpac Institutional Bank.

He brings a strategic perspective to the CRO role, combined with a deep knowledge of the banking industry, and passion for digital transformation.

Outside of work, Rolf spends time with his wife and three children who share a love of the outdoors – biking, fishing, and just spending time enjoying the bush or the beach.