Carmel Mulhern has been appointed to the role of Group Executive Group General Counsel and Governance. It is anticipated that Carmel will commence with CBA in January 2020, subject to meeting the regulatory requirements.

Carmel will join from Telstra, where she is currently Group General Counsel and Group Executive Legal and Corporate Affairs. In this role, Carmel has been responsible for providing legal advice to Telstra's Board, CEO and senior management, as well as being responsible for engagement with stakeholders including government, regulators, media and community. Prior to this, Carmel was Telstra’s Group General Counsel from 2012. Since joining Telstra in 2000, she has held the positions of General Counsel Finance & Administration and Telstra’s Company Secretary, reporting to the Board.

Mr Comyn said: “Carmel is a respected leader with extensive legal expertise, a proven track record in risk management, a strong focus on doing what is right for customers, and personal and professional values that are aligned with the culture we are building at the Bank. I am delighted Carmel is joining the Executive Leadership Team.”

Scott Wharton has been appointed to the new role of Group Executive, Program Delivery.

Scott joined CBA in 2016 and has successfully led the implementation of change programs to upgrade the Bank’s technology and regulatory operations. Over the past year, Scott has been reporting directly to the CEO, and has been responsible for ensuring the Bank is implementing the recommendations from the APRA Prudential Inquiry report into governance, culture and accountability within CBA.

Mr Comyn said: “We’re making good progress to become a simpler, better bank, but there is more work to be done. It is critical that programs to manage risk and simplify our business are well executed. In this new Group Executive role, Scott will work with me and my Executive Leadership Team to manage the interdependencies and drive the implementation of these Group-wide programs.”

Mr Comyn said: “These two appointments considerably strengthen the capability and capacity of the Executive Leadership Team to provide the leadership and expertise we need to help CBA become a simpler, better bank for our customers and for all of our stakeholders.”