Ralph Norris

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Ralph James Norris, DCNZM is the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. A New Zealander, he was previously CEO of the ASB Bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia's New Zealand subsidiary. He left this role for several years to be the CEO of Air New Zealand before leaving to head the CBA.

Prior to being CEO at the ASB Bank he was Chief Information Officer.

[edit] Ralph Norris

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

Mr Norris joined the Commonwealth Bank as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer on 23 September 2005.

He started his working career with Mobil Oil New Zealand in 1967, before joining the Auckland Savings Bank (ASB) in 1969, which subsequently became a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. He was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ASB Bank in 1991, retiring from that position in September 2001.

He joined Air New Zealand Limited as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in February 2002, having served on the company’s Board of Directors for three years. Mr Norris left Air New Zealand to take up his appointment as CEO at the Commonwealth Bank.

During his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of ASB, it expanded nationally, grew its profitability six-fold and increased market share by 60 per cent whilst being consistently rated the best financial services provider in New Zealand.

Mr Norris was credited with leading a turnaround at Air New Zealand by returning the company to profitability and introducing a more customer-focussed culture, for which he was honoured with New Zealand’s Executive of the Year Award in 2004. He was previously New Zealand’s Executive of the Year in his role at ASB Bank.

Mr Norris was awarded a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business in 2006 (an equivalent of a Knighthood under the old honours system). He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management and the New Zealand Computer Society. He is Chair of the Commonwealth Bank Foundation and a member of the NSW Premier’s Business Roundtable.

He is former Chairman of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association and Business Roundtable. He was a member of the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Enterprise Council and Y2K Taskforce.

Mr Norris is 56, was born in Auckland and educated at Lynfield College and is married with three adult children and two grandchildren.