I wonder whether National Australia Bank’s chief executive, Andrew Irvine, has decided to participate in “Dry July”, following the explosive report that some major shareholders have expressed concerns about his drinking and his management style.

Shareholders airing their grievances about executive behaviour at top 20 companies is pretty unusual. And for institutional investors to draw attention to a chief executive’s drinking as a red flag, as reported by The Australian Financial Review, is even rarer.

National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Irvine took the top job in April last year. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

It has left Irvine in the invidious position of whether to respond to a ‘have you stopped beating your wife?’ type of question. And NAB will now undoubtedly be engaged in a fishing expedition to find out who said what to the media.

So far, there has been no official response from the bank’s chairman, Phil Chronican. NAB has gone to ground, which can sometimes lead to more drama, as it leaves the door open to the spread and........

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