Steven van Rijswijk to succeed Ralph Hamers as CEO of ING
ING announced today that Steven van Rijswijk, currently member of the Executive Board and chief risk officer of ING, will succeed Ralph Hamers as CEO and chairman of the Executive Board. The Supervisory Board has appointed Steven van Rijswijk effective 1 July 2020. As announced earlier, Ralph Hamers will leave ING to join UBS, where he will become CEO later in the year.Hans Wijers, chairman of the Supervisory Board of ING said: “We are very pleased to appoint Steven, following a broad and rigorous selection process. With almost 25 years at ING, of which three on the Executive Board, Steven has shown to have the right combination of experience, leadership skills and deep understanding of our business to lead ING into the next phase of our strategic direction. Again, we want to thank Ralph for his contributions, preparing ING for the future with his vision and customer focus. Having been the longest serving CEO of ING, we wish him well in his next role.”Steven van Rijswijk (Dutch, 1970) was appointed to the Executive Board at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders in 2017. Steven joined ING in 1995 and held various positions in the Mergers & Acquisitions, Equity Capital Markets and Capital Structuring and Advisory teams. In 2012 he was appointed global head of Corporate Clients. He became global head of Client Coverage at ING Wholesale Banking in 2014, being responsible for relationship management, transaction services and corporate finance for corporate clients and financial institutions in over 40 countries.In the past years, Steven played a key role in the strengthening of ING’s gatekeeper role and the progress of ING’s model, data and analytics capabilities. As of 2018, he also chairs a European inter-bank working group on the transition from Eonia to a new euro risk-free rate, also providing fallback rates for Euribor. Steven holds a master’s degree in business economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. His appointment has been approved by the European Central Bank.Steven van Rijswijk said: “I am very proud and thankful for the confidence the Supervisory Board has expressed in me. After working so many years with our colleagues and customers around the world, I’m looking forward to further build on our efforts to strengthen ING and enhance our position as one of Europe’s leading digital banks. I want to thank Ralph for his tireless commitment to ING and excellent cooperation in the past years on the Executive Board and wish him well for the future.”Ralph Hamers said: “I congratulate Steven on his appointment. Having worked with him over many years I am convinced that he will sustain the steps we have taken to prepare ING for a digital and mobile future. Again I want to thank the many talented and dedicated colleagues and friends I have worked with over the past 29 years.”The selection process for a new chief risk officer is underway. Until the appointment of a successor, Tanate Phutrakul, CFO of ING, will temporarily assume the responsibility for risk on the Executive Board. The day-to-day risk management activities will be performed ad interim by Karst Jan Wolters, currently chief risk officer of ING Wholesale Banking who will report to Tanate Phutrakul.Since first joining ING in 1986, Karst Jan Wolters (Dutch, 1963) has held a range of front office and risk functions, including head of Global Credit Restructuring and global head of Credit & Trading Risk. In 2017 he was appointed as CRO of ING Wholesale Banking. During his career he also worked at Dutch bank NIB and as a financial economic expert at the Dutch national police. Further announcements on the CRO succession process will be made if and when appropriate.
Ralph Hamers to leave ING to become CEO of UBS
Ralph Hamers, CEO of ING, will step down from his position and leave ING as of 30 June 2020. After 29 years at ING he will join UBS on 1 September 2020 and will become Group Chief Executive Officer per 1 November 2020. Over the past six years Ralph Hamers has transformed ING into a leading digital bank, on the way to become the go-to financial platform for our customers. He created value for all stakeholders and played a leading role in driving sustainability efforts in the financial industry.
Hans Wijers, chairman of the Supervisory Board of ING said: “Ralph has done an exemplary job in preparing our bank for the future with our Think Forward strategy. His vision and customer focus have been an inspiration throughout the years he served as CEO. We will continue to build on the foundations Ralph has laid and we have strong confidence in our strategic direction. We regret to see Ralph leave but want to thank him for all his contributions to ING and wish him well in the new role he will take up later this year. In the coming months Ralph will continue to lead ING and prepare for the transition of leadership.”
Ralph Hamers said: “I am proud of what we have accomplished during the more than six years I had the privilege to lead ING. We completed our restructuring plan and paid back the Dutch State in full. We set the strategic course for ING based on our purpose of ‘empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business’. We grew our customer base by over 20%, with an increase of 70% in primary customers. I am convinced that the steps we have taken to prepare ING for a digital and mobile future will continue to pay off. In the coming months I will do my utmost to ensure my successor can sustain ING’s success. This decision has been very hard for me having in mind the many talented and dedicated colleagues and friends I have worked with over the past 29 years. But I am also honoured to get the opportunity to lead an established institution like UBS.”
Ralph Hamers has been ING’s CEO since 2013. After joining ING in 1991 he held various management positions across the bank among which country manager in Romania and Belgium. In 2013 he was appointed to the Executive Board and Management Board Banking and later in the year became its chairman and CEO.
Until 30 June 2020 Ralph Hamers will remain in his role as CEO, running the daily business and working with the Executive Board and Management Board Banking to ensure a smooth transition. The Supervisory Board has full confidence in ING’s strong management team and the continuation of the execution of our strategy. Further announcements on the succession process will be made if and when appropriate.