National Australia Bank has appointed senior executive Connie Sokaris as its new group chief risk officer (CRO), further elevating a long-serving leader with deep experience across credit, markets, and corporate finance.
Sokaris will assume the role on 3 August, subject to regulatory approvals, replacing current group CRO Shaun Dooley, who announced in February that he would retire from the bank by the end of this year.
Dooley will work alongside Sokaris through the transition and then continue to report to NAB Group CEO Andrew Irvine while leading a number of projects until his retirement later this year.
Sokaris’s appointment comes as Australian and New Zealand banks respond to evolving capital and non‑financial risk expectations, while NAB ramps up proprietary lending and sharpens its broker focus.
Irvine said the appointment reflects the strength of NAB’s internal leadership pipeline and the bank’s focus on risk, customers, and execution, noting: “Her judgement, strong execution focus, and commitment to putting customers at the centre will be invaluable as we continue to build a simpler, faster, and more resilient bank.”
“Connie is a highly motivated and talented leader who has exceptional judgment, drives outcomes, and always puts the customer at the centre of her thinking,” he said in a media release. “Connie’s appointment again demonstrates the depth of talent and capability we are building within NAB.”
Sokaris joined NAB in 2003 and has spent more than 20 years in senior roles spanning risk, capital markets, and institutional banking. She is currently chief credit and market risk officer, overseeing the bank’s enterprise credit and market risk function.
Before taking on group‑wide risk responsibilities, Sokaris served as executive, corporate finance from 2020 to 2025, overseeing capital markets and specialised funding solutions for corporate and institutional clients. This included bond and private placement originations, loan syndications, securitisation, project finance and specialist leasing.
Earlier roles included leadership posts in debt capital markets, transformation and client coverage across resources, infrastructure and government, as well as senior positions in global markets and financial institutions coverage.
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