On November 30, 2016, Bertrand Grabowski will step down from the Board of Managing Directors and leave DVB after reaching the age of 60. On 1 December 2016, David Goring-Thomas, presently DVB's Industry Head Aviation Finance, will succeed Bertrand Grabowski as Board Member in charge of the Bank's Aviation Finance and Land Transport Finance business.
Ralf Bedranowsky, Chairman and CEO of DVB's Board of Managing Directors, stated that Grabowski was leaving DVB to spend more time on personal projects.
"We are sorry to let Bertrand Grabowski go, but respect his decision and desire to spend more time for personal projects,” he said. “My colleague Bart Veldhuizen and I are excited to welcome David Goring-Thomas to the Board of Managing Directors. He is a seasoned senior executive of the Bank, whose expertise and leadership are widely recognised inside and outside DVB, and who has been instrumental in growing our Aviation business so successfully over the past 15 years."
Frank Westhoff, Chairman of DVB's Supervisory Board also expressed his thanks to Grabowski for more than a decade of service at DVB. “The Aviation and Land Transport platforms built and developed under his leadership are much appreciated in the industry, and have provided a stable and healthy profit contribution throughout such period,” he said. “I am delighted to welcome Mr Goring-Thomas as a new member of the Board of Managing Directors, who has been groomed for this role internally over the years. He has been an employee of DVB for more than 15 years and he is widely recognised among his peers as one of the best professionals - both internally and in the market. We are looking forward to benefitting from his contribution to DVB's global franchise."
Christian Hagemeyer will strengthen DVB's management team with effect from 1 April 2017, at the latest. He will be appointed to the Board of Managing Directors where he will be responsible for risk management. DVB's Board of Managing Directors will therefore expand from three to four members.
Christian Hagemeyer joins from Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen, where he has been responsible for the bank's international credit risk management as Division Head since May 2005. Currently, he bears responsibility for Corporate Finance (including Shipping and Aircraft Financing), Financial Institutions, Corporate Clients and for the business with the Savings Banks Finance Group. From 1987 to 2005, Hagemeyer worked for Deutsche Bank, where he served in various leading positions within the bank's risk management at home and abroad. In his last executive position at Deutsche Bank, he was overseeing credit risk management in the Northern German region.
Westhoff explained the appointment decision: "DVB aims to further stabilise and strengthen its position in financing the global transport sector. With the appointment of Mr Hagemeyer, we have been able to attract a renowned industry expert: he has a successful track record, with many years of global management experience in traditional banking and lending business. The changes to DVB's Board of Managing Directors demonstrate a composition of the Bank's senior management team dedicated to continuity and sustainable success in the international transport markets."
These appointments are subject to the customary approval by the regulatory authorities responsible.