ING, the largest Dutch bank, said on Friday that chief risk officer Steven van Rijswijk would replace Ralph Hamers as the chief executive officer from July 1st.
Mr Hamers, credited with helping ING develop its successful online banking platform, in February announced he was leaving to become CEO of Swiss bank UBS Group later this year.
Mr Van Rijswijk is a veteran of more than two decades at ING. In 2010 he had been ING's head of corporate clients, and became the head of client coverage at ING's wholesale banking arm in 2014. He joined the company's executive board as chief risk officer in 2017.
ING chairman Hans Wijers said Mr Van Rijswijk had the "right combination of experience, leadership skills and deep understanding of our business" to lead the bank.
In a statement published by ING, Mr Van Rijswijk said he would not “radically” depart from Mr Hamers’ strategy,which focused on developing the bank’s technology platform and digital products, particularly on its smartphone banking app.
“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,” he said. “The heart of our strategy sits with the focus on our customers, and that doesn’t change with a new CEO.” – Reuters
