new acting CEO Birgitte Bonnesen, Swedbank. Photo: Anders Ahlgren
Birgitte Bonnesen is strikingly cheerful and in high spirits when she takes place in a colorful armchair in the entrance to Swedbank’s head office in Sundbyberg. About a day before the interview, she received the request if she would step into the acting CEO of the company. She was surprised, but the answer was still obvious.
– Absolutely. Here we go.
In between, the Board held a special meeting. Information has been passed to CEO Michael Wolf will go – in the day. The chairman held a press conference which was described in the media as a farce with answers and allowed no supplementary questions.
In other words, the state based on perceived as dramatic and chaotic. But Birgitte Bonnesen relaxed wave to passersby who congratulate and making the thumbs up as they pass on the way home from their desktop sites.
– We need to adapt to customer behavior and be able to meet our customers in all channels. But our starting point is akin to a cold. Now we need to be healthy, but basically this is a very strong bank, with good customer base, good staff and great values, says Birgitte Bonnesen with a slight accent that reveals that she comes from Odder south of Aarhus in Denmark.
in the autumn revealed Dagens Industri that two senior managers at Swedbank has made property deals with one of the bank’s customers. The negative writings and rumors have affected the bank, both internally and externally. It becomes clear not least in contact with the employees, according to Birgitte Bonnesen.
– This is evident in that people need more time to talk about what happens in the bank. It is of course not optimal, but very human, and it needs to have space for.
What have you thought about the real estate business?
– It was not appropriate that they did so.
– I have been the head of internal audit at the bank and I know that it is important to have a clear regulatory framework and that it is clear how it is applied. Now they have the steered it in the bank so that the same thing will not happen again. But banking is constantly getting more and more complex and it is important that you constantly are extremely alert to these questions.
Did you see the risks of this when you worked as director of internal audit at the bank?
– no, I did not.
Had you been able to approve these real estate deals?
– I hope I had not done it, responds Birgitte Bonnesen thoughtfully.
the FSA has now launched a review of the property transactions made by top executives at Swedbank. Of the two involved have got to go. Birgitte Bonnesen claim, however, decided, as chairman Anders Sundström has made that his resignation had not the real estate business to do. Now it is speculated in the second, CFO Göran Bronner, can remain in place.
– I certainly hope that he does, exclaims Birgitte Bonnesen speaking of rumors about his possible resignation.
– Certainly he can remain. He is very important. What he has done for the bank is a fantastic achievement. He is incredibly talented and we have had a very good cooperation.
Similarly celebrates She now retiring Michael Wolf. She describes how she has taken some of the writings in the recent past and thought that “there is much positive to say about Mike, it would be appetizing if you did it.”
– Mike has done a fantastic job at the bank. When he arrived it was a banking crisis, and it is not today. Now we are one of Europe’s most profitable banks. We have a really nice balance and eye on the risks.
Birgitte Bonnesen point out that nothing has changed with regard to strategy, financial targets and the plan for 2016 Group Management held to adapt to customer behavior. Her mission is to keep up the pace of change that Mr. Wolf has started.
When asked what she will do differently from Wolf follows a long pause.
– I think that the faster the requirements are in transformation and change, the more they need to work in tight teams and anchored. All employees need to feel involved. It is a huge challenge, but incredibly important that everyone has a clear sense of where we are going and what is required.
Is there a risk that this effort toward cooperation and anchoring clashes with target of achieving rapid changes?
– Yes, there are risks with everything. But there is still one in charge. And now it’s me.
Birgitte Bonnesen
Age: 59.
live: Djursholm in Stockholm.
Career: has held various positions within Swedbank since 1987. Since January last year, she is part of Swedbank Group and has been head of the Swedish banking operations. Before that she was the bank manager in the Baltics. Birgitte Bonnesen is 59 years old and lives in Djursholm.
Current Newly appointed acting CEO of Swedbank.
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