Commonwealth Bank swoops for new executive from Telstra

A former Telstra manager has been appointed to a new executive role at Commonwealth Bank.

Meg Bonighton (pictured above) will officially join CBA as executive general manager, digital and customer, on January 30, 2023.

CBA says in the newly created role, Bonighton will sit across the retail and business banking divisions of the bank and have oversight and responsibility for the full digital customer journey. The bank says the new role will help accelerate its digital strategy.

Bonighton has been at Telstra for the past four years, most recently in the role of customer management and loyalty executive. Prior to this, she was general manager home lending at NAB and general manager specialist channels at ANZ.

She has more than 20 years’ executive leadership experience, having driven a number of customer-first growth, innovation and transformation agendas across financial service organisations.

CBA group executive, retail banking services Angus Sullivan said Bonighton would be responsible for bringing increased customer focus to CommBank’s digital offering right across its retail and business operations.

“This will include driving innovation, improved customer engagement and creating new business opportunities through partnerships and ventures,” Sullivan said.

“Meg brings a laser-like customer focus, executive leadership experience and extensive banking expertise and will be an important addition to both the retail and business bank leadership teams.

“As Australia’s largest bank, with over eight million active users of Australia’s number one banking app, CommBank is committed to putting the customer at the heart of all our digital design and decision making and Meg’s appointment will help us to continue to build on our customer-centric approach to banking and digital engagement.”

CBA recently announced it was opening a new Commonwealth Bank branch in Lismore following the flood disaster that rocked the northern NSW town earlier this year.

“Like so many homes and businesses, our branch was submerged by the East Coast floods this year,” said Stephanie Darragh, CBA Lismore branch manager. “It has been the most trying and overwhelming period for so many people in our community, so our focus has been to always be there for Lismore, both in the immediate aftermath and while the town rebuilds.”

In March, the bank extended its support to flood victims by making a $500,000 donation to help get communities that were devastated by the floods back on the path to recovery.