The Chairman of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Catherine Livingstone, today announced the appointment of Professor Genevieve Bell as an Independent Non-Executive Director to the Board with effect from 1 January 2019.

Professor Bell is a cultural anthropologist, technologist and futurist best known for her work at the intersection of cultural practice and technology development, and bringing non-traditional skills to engineering and computing.

Professor Bell is a Distinguished Professor at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the Australian National University (ANU) and is the inaugural Florence Violet McKenzie Chair at the university, a forum focused on the inclusive use of technology in society. She is also a Director of the Autonomy, Agency and Assurance (3A) Institute, an ANU strategic initiative focused on the management of the impact of artificial intelligence, data, and technology on humanity.

Prior to ANU, Professor Bell spent 18 years at Intel Corporation including as Vice President directing Intel’s Digital Home Group where she was instrumental in re-orientating Intel to adopt an experience-driven approach. In 2010, she was made the director of Intel’s first fully integrated user experience research and development group, working on questions of big data, smart transportation, and next generation image technology. Professor Bell continues to be actively engaged at Intel in her current capacity as a Vice President and Intel Senior Fellow.

Professor Bell has a Doctorate in Cultural Anthropology from Stanford University.

Ms Livingstone said: “I am delighted to welcome Genevieve as a Director of Commonwealth Bank. With her thorough understanding of technology in society and business, Genevieve will bring a unique and strategic perspective as we pursue our purpose of improving the financial wellbeing of our customers and communities.”