Bank Australia appoints Sasha Courville as Chief Impact Officer

Bank Australia has today announced the appointment of Dr Sasha Courville to its executive team as Chief Impact Officer.

With a background in sustainability, social impact and environmental management Sasha will play a key role in delivering on Bank Australia’s commitment to create positive impact for people and the planet. As the bank’s first Chief Impact Officer, Sasha will lead the sustainability, impact, strategic planning, corporate affairs and marketing teams.

Sasha joins Bank Australia after nine years at NAB working across social impact, innovation and sustainability, most recently as Executive, Social Impact. Previously, she led NAB’s Corporate Social Responsibility function and NAB’s natural capital strategy.

Bank Australia Managing Director Damien Walsh welcomed Sasha to Bank Australia saying that her experience across sustainability and shared value creation in the banking sector will be a valuable addition to the bank.

“I’m delighted to welcome Sasha to Bank Australia and am excited about the wealth of knowledge and experience she brings as we work to ramp up our impact and growth ambitions.”

“Appointing Sasha as our first Chief Impact Officer is an important step in reinforcing our commitment to being a leading B Corp and driving our ambitions to create greater positive impact for people and the planet.”

On joining Bank Australia Sasha said that she was excited to build on the bank’s success in driving growth through brand differentiation and positive impact creation.

“I’m looking forward to joining Bank Australia at this point in its evolution as it continues on its impressive growth trajectory. In a short time Bank Australia has built a strong and trusted brand known by its customers and stakeholders as a leader in the profit for purpose sector.”

“I’m a firm believer in the positive impact business can have in addressing complex social and environmental challenges, and Bank Australia’s commitment to working with its customers to create a future where people and the planet thrive is one that I can’t wait to contribute to.”

Sasha is also a Director of the Global Compact Network Australia, a Commissioner for International Agricultural Research, supporting ACIAR, and a Director of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.

Prior to her time at NAB, Sasha was the Executive Director of the London-based ISEAL Alliance, the global association for sustainability standards and assurance systems. She has also worked as an international consultant on social justice and environmental sustainability issues, and as an academic. Sasha was also responsible for setting up the Fairtrade labelling system in Australia and New Zealand.

Sasha has a PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Science from ANU, an MSc from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from York University in Canada.