Mr Perkins joins Australian Unity Bank on 1 July this year following 12 years at NAB where he was Queensland State General Manager for NAB Private, led the client experience team for its private bank, and most recently managed the national call centre.

Prior to entering a career in banking, Mr Perkins worked in consultancy. However, he is best known publicly as one of Australia’s all-time great swimmers. He won successive Olympic gold medals in the 1990s and in recognition of his achievements received the Medal of the Order of Australia, was 1992 Young Australian of the Year and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2002.

Announcing his appointment, Australian Unity’s CEO Retail Christine Yates said that Mr Perkin’s combination of leadership, customer management, customer experience and operational delivery would support Australian Unity Bank as it worked to deliver its Banking that’s good for you growth agenda.

“Having worked with Kieren at NAB, I was impressed with his commitment to customers and his team and his passion for the important role banking plays in society,” Ms Yates said.

On joining Australian Unity, Mr Perkins said: “As a proud Australian I have always felt the need to give back to the community that supported me to perform on the world stage.”

“As I looked to make the next step in my career, the opportunity to use my experience in banking in a community focused organisation made Australian Unity a very exciting choice.”