Executive Management

Paul Lewis is the CEO and Managing Director of Great Southern Bank, one of Australia's leading customer-owned banks, serving over 414,000 customers. He joined the bank (formerly CUA) in February 2018 as Chief Sales Officer and became CEO in November 2019. Under his leadership, the bank has undergone significant transformations, including rebranding from Credit Union Australia (CUA), embedding a new purpose to help all Australians own their homes, and launching a new digital-first proposition for small businesses.

Paul’s vision for Great Southern Bank is to establish it as a credible alternative and true challenger to Australia’s biggest banks, focused on delivering better financial outcomes for Australians.

With over 20 years of experience in senior executive roles across Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia, Paul has a proven track record in driving customer-focused strategies and operational excellence. Before joining Great Southern Bank, Paul was at Westpac, where he led the planning and delivery of the bank’s distribution strategy. He also held various senior executive roles at ANZ, including Managing Director of Retail Banking at AmBank Malaysia and General Manager of ANZ’s Australian Retail Branch Network.

Paul holds an MBA from Massey University and is a graduate of the Senior Executive Management Program at the London Business School.

Paul serves in multiple governance roles, including Chairman of Credicorp Finance Pty Ltd, Director of Credicorp Insurance Pty Ltd, and Director of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals Ltd. He is also Chair of the Allocations and Investments Sub-committee at Sacré Coeur, an independent Catholic girls’ school.

Outside of work, Paul enjoys competing in 50-100km ultra-marathons with his wife, and they share a passion for traveling with their three teenage daughters.

Megan joined Great Southern Bank (formerly CUA) in January 2019. In 2024 she was appointed Deputy CEO, a newly created position to support the CEO and Board to deliver the bank’s strategy and growth ambitions. Megan also leads the bank’s Group Strategy & Innovation team and its Corporate Affairs & Sustainability team.

Prior to becoming Deputy CEO, Megan was Chief Customer Officer at Great Southern Bank, where she was responsible for driving business performance and creating strong customer growth. Megan also led the successful delivery of the bank’s competitive new brand.

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, the general managers’ program at the Australian Graduate School of Management, and the Harvard Business School Advance Management Program. She is currently a Director of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

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.

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, including its Customer Contact Centre and broker and branch network. 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 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.

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.

Bernadette was appointed as Chief Information Officer at Great Southern Bank in February 2025 and leads the strategy, architecture and execution of the Technology and Enterprise Portfolio functions.

Bernadette brings a wealth of experience across different industries including transportation and mining, aviation and financial services. Most recently, Bernadette was part of the Group Executive of RACQ in the role of Chief Operating Officer where she held accountability for Technology, Data and Analytics and Group Projects and a year leading Contact Centre and Distribution functions.

She has over 25 years in large scale business and technology transformation holding senior positions across several prominent Australian organisations including Chief Information Officer of Brisbane City Council, Business Transformation Lead for Virgin Australia, Aurizon, and Rio Tinto.

Bernadette holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major of Mathematics and Physics and an Honors degree in Physics.

Outside of work, Bernadette has a passion for travel, particularly exploring off track and remote Australian towns by road, and she loves the AFL season.

Rolf was appointed Chief Customer Officer in December 2024 to lead Great Southern Bank’s Sales and Marketing functions, including its products, customer experience and brand. Prior to this Rolf was Chief Risk Officer at Great Southern Bank, where he led the development and implementation of the bank’s risk management strategy.

He 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 Deloitte in South Africa, before moving to London and progressing through several leadership roles at Barclays, 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.

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.