National Australia Bank (NAB) has nabbed former QBE GM of marketing and customer insights, David Hirsch as the Personal Bank Marketing Executive.

Hirsch will report to Paolo Aloi, Chief Operating Officer – Personal Bank, and will lead all marketing efforts for NAB’s Personal Bank, which is headed by Ana Marinkovic. He’ll be working alongside other senior marketing leaders including Natalie Lockwood (Chief Marketing Officer) and Elly Bloom (Business & Private Bank Marketing Executive).

Hirsch joins NAB after a two-year tenure at QBE Insurance, where he served as General Manager, Marketing & Customer Insights. His career spans over 20 years in financial services and digital-first enterprises, with previous senior roles at Bupa, Visa, and Westpac.

During his time at QBE, Hirsch spearheaded a marketing and insights transformation that reportedly reversed a five-year decline in brand awareness and achieved double-digit growth in the consumer business. Under his leadership, QBE was named Kantar BrandZ’s fastest riser in brand value for 2025. His team was recognised as the Australian Marketing Institute’s Marketing Team of the Year, and Hirsch himself was a finalist for CMO of the Year.

Hirsch is known for his purpose-led leadership and has a track record in brand strategy, commercial outcomes, and marketing transformation.

“This is the ideal next role for me and I am delighted to be joining NAB to work with Paolo and the broader leadership team. NAB’s ambition to be the most customer-centric company in Australia and New Zealand was a major attraction. The opportunity to help lift the banking experience to the next level was key to my decision to join,” Hirsch stated.

Aloi commented on the appointment, “David brings exceptional expertise in marketing transformation and customer insights. His leadership will be pivotal as we continue to elevate the Personal Bank experience and deliver on our customer-centric ambition.”

His appointment follows an extensive search, with Kay Pawson having acted in the role on an interim basis.

In a statement, QBE thanked Hirsch for his contributions during his time with QBE and wished him well in his new role. Mi3 understands the GM of marketing and customer insights role has now been removed as part of a realignment of the Australian marketing function and adjustment of senior roles.