NLB’s Supervisory Board Appoints New Management Board Member

In 2024, NLB defined and presented its new Group business strategy, which outlines an ambitious and transformational set of targets. With an in-depth understanding of the business environment and careful consideration of risks, the new business strategy draws a path that will ensure the long-term development of NLB Group and, indirectly, the wider economic environment in Group’s home region, Southeastern Europe. The strategy foresees doubling NLB Group’s balance sheet, revenues, and profits by 2030, to reach more than EUR 50 billion in total assets, recurring revenues of more than EUR 2 billion, and a targeted profit of more than EUR 1 billion, combining organic growth with selected M&As in SEE.

Given the challenges the Group will face during its Strategy implementation period lasting until 2030, requiring rapid positive impact in transforming NLB’s processes, and pursuing the defined impact milestones, the need for a CTO became clearly outlined. Pending approvals, the new CTO will focus on driving the project management processes, as well as (at the end of the transition period) the IT governance to help the Group achieve ambitious IT strategy targets. Those targets include providing the foundation for a truly cross-functional agile operating model, building Group-wide capabilities for a mobile/digital first bank around architectural enablers, upgrading the infrastructure to a highly resilient hybrid-cloud model, establishing a foundation for data-driven decision-making and (Gen)AI, and becoming the powerhouse of the region for digital talent, originating at least 90% of new regular transactions in an E2E digitized way.

Reinhard Höll (1983) is an experienced professional with 20 years of background in international banking groups, and as well a consultancy firm with expertise in retail and corporate banking, growth transformation, technology modernisation, organisational design, operating models, and risk management. He began his career at Commerzbank (2004), where he focused mainly on corporate banking, before transferring to Lehman Brothers (2007) and later to Standard Bank (2008), where he began working in his role as a Credit Portfolio Manager in its Treasury and Capital Management team in London and Johannesburg. He joined the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company in 2012, where he currently holds the position of a Partner, serving banking, payment players, fintechs, and technology players, as well as investors across Europe. Furthermore, he also leads McKinsey’s Financial Services Private Capital work in Europe.

NLB is currently led by a six-member Management Board, consisting of Blaž Brodnjak, CEO; Archibald Kremser, CFO; Andreas Burkhardt, CRO; Hedvika Usenik, CMO Retail; Andrej Lasič, CIB; and Antonio Argir, CGPO.