In a letter to members, Essendon president Dave Barham said Thorburn initially came to the club on a short-term basis to coordinate the external review.
“When Andrew was approached, he indicated that he would give the opportunity his consideration. At this point, he immediately removed himself from any oversight he had of the club’s CEO search,” said Barham
“A week later, he formally entered the process and then interviewed for the role last week, along with the other candidates.
Thorburn, 57, was born and educated in New Zealand and is a lifelong Essendon fan.
He was chief executive of the NAB from 2014 until February 2019, having previously been CEO of NAB’s New Zealand business from 2008 and head of NAB’s retail arm since 2005.
He resigned from NAB following the release of the final report of the Royal Commission into the banking and superannuation industry, which followed criticisms of Thorburn and then exiting NAB chairman Ken Henry from commissioner Kenneth Hayne.
Thorburn is currently the chairman of the Sentient Impact Group, an investment fund that focuses on clean energy, land and water and is a senior adviser to the Boston Consulting Group.
Barham said the appointment was part of the club’s “bold and decisive” steps forward and described Thorburn is a “a highly credentialed leader, with a proven track record in development and building the leadership capabilities of his people”.
“Our recent appointments of Brad Scott and today with Andrew, demonstrate our commitment to leadership and providing the right environment to ensure we achieve sustained success as a club,” said Barham.
“Andrew’s focus will be on running Essendon like a club, with a renewed focus on our members and the core reason which we exist – football.”
