THE chief executive of National Australia Bank's operations in Ireland, Mr John Wright, is leaving the group to become head of Gulf Bank in Kuwait. Mr Wright, who is based in Belfast, became chief executive of National Irish Bank and Northern Bank last July.
He will be replaced by Mr Grahame Savage who is general manager of retail financial services with NAB in Australia. Mr Savage will arrive in Belfast within weeks, a bank spokesman said.
Mr Savage (50) worked in Britain at Yorkshire Bank from 1979 to 1993. He held the positions of head of strategic development and managing director of retail services at Yorkshire Bank. In Australia he was head of NAB owned state banks in the Northern Territories and in South Australia.
Mr Wright joined the NAB group in 1993, when he became chief executive of Northern Bank. He had worked in the Middle East for a number of years. He joined NAB from the Oman International Bank where he was director and chief executive officer from 1986. Mr Wright was not available for comment yesterday - he was returning from NAB headquarters in Melbourne.
NAB group managing director Mr Don Argus said Mr Wright had contributed "to the rebuilding of our operations in Northern Ireland and more recently in the Republic of Ireland". These operations were "currently achieving, good results and looked set to benefit from improved economic conditions", he said.
The position of chief executive for NAB operations in Northern Ireland and the Republic was created last July with Mr Wright's appointment. The position was established to ensure that the bank benefited from close co operation between its interests on the island, a spokesman said.
The group is investigating the possible benefits from centralising back office administration, he said.
"We are looking at developing centres of excellence within the group", he said. But he stressed that NAB remained fully committed to separate identities, separate brands and separate operations for its regional banks in the Republic and in Northern Ireland.
NAB needs to build up scale in the Irish market, the spokesman said referring to its bid to take over the Trustee Savings Bank. No decision has been made by the Government on the future of the TSB. National Irish Bank reported pre tax profits of £21.4 million for the year to end September 1996, a 10 per cent increase.
