NAB confirms exec fired over joke gone wrong
A senior leader at NAB’s digital bank Ubank has lost their job after a staged “terrorist hostage” scenario at the company’s Sydney Christmas party triggered a formal workplace investigation and swift disciplinary action.
The episode, which took place on November 18 at The Ivy in the CBD, has become a case study in how quickly behaviour at work functions can escalate into serious conduct issues – particularly when senior executives are involved and images are shared among staff.
Ubank chief executive Kanishka Raja confirmed on Monday that the bank had dismissed a senior executive following the incident, saying the decision followed an internal investigation into the events at the party.
The bank has not named the executive. It is understood they were initially stood down before their employment was terminated.
The incident first surfaced on industry gossip site AussieCorporate, where an anonymous whistleblower described a photograph taken during the event. In that image, the senior executive was reportedly on their knees with hands behind their back, “suggesting they were a hostage or captive”. A junior staff member was standing over them, hands shaped as a gun and pointed at the executive.
The junior employee was said to be wearing a towel as a makeshift headdress, “which was understood to be an attempt to depict a terrorist”. The image was circulated internally, and the whistleblower alleged the executive had been “not seen” at...
[OSEN=Kim Nayeon Reporter] Ms. A, who is under suspicion of illegal medical practices due to the 'injection aunt' controversy involving broadcaster Park Na-rae, expressed her grievance. On the 24t...