He turned down a film role, practised law, and later became SEEK’s CEO - Inside Ian Narev’s unusual career journey

An audition at eleven and a boardroom decades later - here's how SEEK CEO Ian Narev’s career unfolded.

Narev's first job had a script, but his later career was rather less predictable. In early 1979, the future SEEK chief executive spent around six months working on a children’s drama series in New Zealand. He was only eleven years of age when the opportunity arrived: visitors turned up at his school drama classes, and he found himself invited to audition.

He shared details about his professional journey on SEEK’s 'My First Job' podcast in May 2025. During the conversation, he revealed that he already loved drama.


Reflecting on the experience in SEEK’s 'My First Job' podcast, Narev recalled a brief acting career that brought him another opportunity—a film role in New Zealand, which he turned down.

His career path shifted from learning lines and long scripts to filing documents at a law firm.

After a short stint in acting, Narev took on what he calls “menial” jobs, including work at a law firm where his father worked.

Law eventually became a serious pursuit. He studied English Literature at the University of Auckland and earned postgraduate law degrees from Cambridge University and New York University. He then built a career as a practicing lawyer, specializing in mergers and acquisitions.

Narev talks about the distinction between enjoying a subject and enjoying the work. He says, “I loved studying law, but I just didn't love what I was doing.”

After about four years as a lawyer, he decided to move on.

Consulting came next. Narev joined McKinsey & Company in 1998, working his way into senior roles before moving to Commonwealth Bank of Australia as group head of strategy in 2007. In January 2009, he took charge of its business and private banking division.

Becoming chief executive at Commonwealth Bank, he recalls, only emerged as a concrete possibility about six months before it happened.

As the bank prepared for the retirement of chief executive Ralph Norris, its board considered internal candidates. Narev found himself facing a question that had suddenly become very real: did he want to be considered? He did. He took over as Commonwealth Bank’s CEO on December 1, 2011.

Asked about his best job, Ian Narev speaks warmly of the opportunities he has had while acknowledging that every role comes with its pluses and minuses. Leading an organization you care deeply about, though, holds a particular appeal. For him, being CEO is a privilege accompanied by enormous responsibility.

At SEEK, the sense of belonging came quickly. Recalling his first day, he says it was already clear that the organization would suit him.

He joined in April 2019 as chief operating officer and CEO of its Asia Pacific and Americas business before becoming SEEK’s managing director and CEO on July 1, 2021.

There is a fitting twist to where Narev’s career has taken him. After moving through acting, law, consulting, and banking, he now leads a company built around helping other people find work.

Founded in Melbourne in 1997, SEEK operates online employment marketplaces across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The Australian Securities Exchange-listed company employs more than 3,000 people.

According to SEEK, its platforms have more than 60 million candidate profiles and over 360,000 hirer relationships. The company says employment activity supplies more than 750 million data points daily, helping its technology improve how candidates and opportunities are matched.