Executive leaves bank after mock ‘terrorist’ prank at work Christmas party

An executive at UBank has left his job after a work Christmas party scandal. Photo / Brent Lewin, Bloomberg via Getty Images

A senior executive has left a National Australia Bank-owned offshoot after he was photographed acting out a mock terrorist scenario.

On November 18, Ubank, a digital subsidiary of National Australia Bank (NAB), hosted a Christmas party at Sydney’s The Ivy, where it is alleged an executive pretended to be held hostage by a headdress-wearing junior colleague.

Chief executive Kanishka Raja confirmed the executive has now left the company, in a statement given to the Daily Mail.

“Senior leaders are expected to model appropriate behaviour consistent with our policies,” he said.

“We take matters relating to our Code of Conduct extremely seriously. We have investigated thoroughly and acted swiftly.”

An anonymous employee reported the incident to gossip account The Aussie Corporate, which shared the allegations on Instagram yesterday.

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A photo booth at the function reportedly “captured a highly disturbing image involving an executive and a junior colleague involving a mock terrorist or hostage situation”.

The executive was pictured in a kneeling position while a junior colleague made gun signs at them, seemingly acting out a captive-prisoner situation with a racial undertone.

“The situation was further compounded by the junior colleague wearing a towel fashioned as a head dress, which was understood to be an attempt to depict a terrorist.”

Nine executives work alongside Raja at the financial institution, which was created out of a merger between NAB and Cuscal in 2021, according to news.com.au.

Raja said recruitment for the departing managerial role has already begun.