Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has announced a major shake-up at the top of its technology organisation, confirming that Group Executive Technology and Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) Gavin Munroe will leave the bank on 22 December 2025 to pursue opportunities outside the organisation. [1]
In the interim, CBA is adopting a dual-CIO structure:
- Rodrigo Castillo will serve as CIO Central Technology
- Victoria Ledda will act as CIO Business Technology
Both will report directly to CEO Matt Comyn, pending regulatory approval, effectively splitting responsibility for one of the most advanced banking tech stacks in the region. [2]
The news, first reported by outlets including the Australian Financial Review and iTnews, immediately positions CBA’s tech transition as one of the most closely watched executive moves in Australian finance this year. [3]
Who is Gavin Munroe – and why his exit matters
Munroe joined CBA in November 2022 after a long international career in financial services technology. Before moving to Sydney, he served as Global CIO for Wealth and Personal Banking at HSBC, and earlier held senior technology leadership roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, as well as positions at Synechron, Morgan Stanley’s Saxon unit and Wachovia. [4]
With more than 20 years’ experience in banking tech and digital transformation, his appointment was widely seen as a signal that CBA wanted a global-calibre leader to accelerate its cloud and AI agenda. [5]
Over roughly three years in the top job, Munroe became the bank’s most senior technology executive and a central architect of its AI and cloud strategy – a fact repeatedly highlighted in today’s coverage and in the bank’s own statement. [6]
Inside Munroe’s technology transformation: cloud core and AI at scale
Under Munroe’s leadership, CBA pushed through some of the largest infrastructure changes in its history:
- Completed a full upgrade and migration of its SAP core banking platform to AWS, described by the bank as its biggest ever system-of-record migration. [7]
- Accelerated its technology modernisation program while reducing operational incidents. [8]
- Deepened its AI capabilities across the bank, contributing to CBA being ranked fourth globally for AI maturity in financial services by an external benchmarking study cited by the bank. [9]
- Established a technology and AI hub in Seattle to tap into US engineering and AI talent. [10]
External analyses today echo that picture, crediting Munroe with embedding AI across customer experience, risk, fraud, and operations, and positioning CBA as one of the most technologically advanced banks in the Asia–Pacific region. [11]
In short: he wasn’t a caretaker CIO. He was hired to rewire the bank’s core systems and push CBA to the frontier of AI-enabled banking – and he largely delivered on that brief.
The new model: two CIOs instead of one
Rather than immediately appointing a like-for-like replacement, CBA has opted for a split leadership structure in Technology:
- Rodrigo Castillo – CIO Central Technology
- Currently the bank’s Group CTO, he will oversee core infrastructure, platforms and central technology services. [12]
- Victoria Ledda – CIO Business Technology
- Currently CIO for retail banking, she will focus on technology aligned to business units and customer-facing initiatives. [13]
Both will report directly to CEO Matt Comyn, giving technology a continued seat at the executive top table even as the structure changes. [14]
Importantly, CBA has not said whether this dual-CIO setup will be permanent. iTnews notes that the bank has left open the question of whether the split in responsibilities will continue beyond the interim period, suggesting that a more comprehensive review of the tech organisation may still be underway. [15]
Why now? Leadership churn amid an aggressive AI and automation push
The timing of Munroe’s departure raises eyebrows because it comes as CBA is doubling down on AI and automation rather than pulling back.
Recent reports highlight:
- Multi‑year partnerships with global generative AI providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, underscoring CBA’s intention to keep pushing AI deeper into its operations. [16]
- Significant restructuring in the technology division, including around 164 tech job cuts in March and the replacement of dozens of customer service roles with an AI voice bot earlier this year. [17]
At the same time, other outlets point to a broader wave of senior departures at CBA across risk, operations and finance, suggesting a wider refresh of the executive ranks rather than a one-off move. [18]
Officially, the bank’s explanation is straightforward: Munroe “will explore other opportunities outside the bank,” and the board-authorised announcement emphasises continuity of strategy rather than rupture. [19]
CBA’s message to markets: strategy unchanged, AI still centre stage
In its Executive Leadership Team update, CBA stresses that its existing technology and AI roadmap remains intact: [20]
- The bank will continue to execute its established technology strategy.
- AI will be embedded “throughout the organisation” to improve customer experiences.
- The transformation programs Munroe led – including cloud migration, modernisation and AI adoption – are ongoing and positioned as central to CBA’s long-term competitiveness.
Market-focused outlets like MarketScreener and MT Newswires also frame the move primarily as an executive change, with no suggestion of an abrupt shift in technical direction. [21]
For investors, the immediate questions are less about whether CBA continues its AI‑first strategy and more about execution risk:
- Can a dual-CIO model preserve the speed and cohesion of decision-making achieved under a single, powerful tech chief?
- Will CBA be able to retain and attract top engineering and AI talent amid leadership change?
- How will regulators view governance over critical infrastructure in a split technology structure?
What this means for customers and staff
For everyday customers, nothing changes overnight. Digital channels, mobile apps and payment systems continue to run on the platforms Munroe’s team has modernised.
But the leadership shift matters in several ways:
- Pace of digital innovation
- Munroe championed faster delivery cycles and a strong cloud-native, AI-heavy approach. A new structure must maintain that pace without sacrificing reliability.
- Trust and responsible AI
- As CBA deploys more AI – from customer service bots to credit decisioning and fraud detection – leadership will be under pressure to show that automation enhances, rather than undermines, customer trust and fairness.
- Workforce transformation
- CBA’s earlier job cuts and deployment of AI voice systems have already triggered debate over automation and job security. [22]
- how Castillo and Ledda shape the tech roadmap will influence the next wave of reskilling, redeployment and automation inside the bank.
What’s next: global talent hunt and a critical 12–18 months
While CBA has not formally confirmed a long-term successor, specialist tech and business outlets report that a global search for a new technology leader is either underway or expected, with an emphasis on deep AI, data, and cloud expertise. [23]
Over the next year or so, watch for:
- A possible permanent CIO appointment – either consolidating the two interim roles or formalising a split structure.
- Further AI and cloud announcements, particularly around customer-facing generative AI tools and advanced analytics.
- Continued regulatory scrutiny, as banks that lean heavily on AI must demonstrate robust governance, testing and explainability.
- Signals from staff surveys and tech hiring markets about morale and retention in CBA’s engineering and data teams.
Munroe’s own next move will also be closely followed. With a CV spanning HSBC, Bank of America and now CBA – and a track record in large-scale AI and cloud transformations – he’s likely to be in demand across global banks, big tech, and high-growth fintechs. [24]
Key facts at a glance
- Who is leaving?
- Gavin Munroe, Group Executive Technology and Group CIO of Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
- When is he leaving?
- 22 December 2025 (last day at CBA). [25]
- Why, officially?
- To “explore other opportunities outside the bank,” according to CBA’s board-authorised announcement. [26]
- Who takes over (for now)?
- Rodrigo Castillo, CIO Central Technology
- Victoria Ledda, CIO Business Technology – both reporting directly to CEO Matt Comyn, subject to regulatory approval. [27]
- What did Munroe achieve?
- Led the SAP core banking migration to AWS
- Accelerated tech modernisation and reduced operational incidents
- Strengthened AI capabilities, helping CBA reach a top‑five global ranking for AI maturity in financial services. [28]
- Will CBA’s AI and tech strategy change?
- CBA says no: it plans to keep executing the current strategy and further embed AI across the organisation. [29]
As Australia’s largest lender navigates this transition, Munroe’s departure is less a sign of retreat from AI and cloud than a reminder of how central technology leadership has become to modern banking. The real story to watch now is whether CBA’s new dual‑CIO structure can sustain – or even accelerate – the momentum he helped create.
References
1. www.commbank.com.au, 2. www.commbank.com.au, 3. www.afr.com, 4. fxnewsgroup.com, 5. fxnewsgroup.com, 6. www.commbank.com.au, 7. www.commbank.com.au, 8. www.commbank.com.au, 9. www.commbank.com.au, 10. www.commbank.com.au, 11. startupnews.fyi, 12. www.itnews.com.au, 13. www.commbank.com.au, 14. www.commbank.com.au, 15. www.itnews.com.au, 16. www.dailytelegraph.com.au, 17. www.dailytelegraph.com.au, 18. startupnews.fyi, 19. www.commbank.com.au, 20. www.commbank.com.au, 21. www.marketscreener.com, 22. www.dailytelegraph.com.au, 23. startupnews.fyi, 24. fxnewsgroup.com, 25. www.commbank.com.au, 26. www.commbank.com.au, 27. www.commbank.com.au, 28. www.commbank.com.au, 29. www.commbank.com.au
