10:46 09.10.2024

PrivatBank's Supervisory Board elects Swedish banker Björknert as CEO

2 min read
PrivatBank's Supervisory Board elects Swedish banker Björknert as CEO

The Supervisory Board of state-owned PrivatBank (Kyiv) on October 7, 2024, selected Swedish banker Mikael Björknert as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) following a very competitive international search process, replacing Gerhard Bösch, according to a bank press release on Wednesday morning.

At PrivatBank, Björknert will focus on developing a customer-centric model, accelerating digital initiatives and future-proofing the bank to ensure it remains a reliable and trusted partner for its 18 million customers, the press service highlighted.

The candidacy of the Swedish banker shall be approved by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU). In the interim, from November 2, 2024, the duties of the CEO will be assumed by Larisa Chernyshova, Chief Risk Officer.

PrivatBank emphasized that the appointment of Björknert demonstrates the effectiveness of corporate governance at the state bank and Ukraine's ability to attract top professionals from the financial sector despite the ongoing war.

Björknert brings over 25 years of experience in the financial sector, having previously led Swedbank’s banking business, overseeing retail and corporate banking, operations, and digital transformation.

At Swedbank, Björknert successfully implemented strategic planning and digital banking initiatives. He is recognized internationally as a banking sector expert and has served as an advisor to the senior management of global banks on strategic issues, PrivatBank said.

Before joining Swedbank, Björknert held the position of Chairman of the Board at Bankgirot (Sweden), Head of International Transactions at SEB Bank (Estonia), and was a member of the Board of Directors at Nasdaq in Sweden.

As of August 1, 2024, PrivatBank ranked first in Ukraine by total assets (UAH 895.26 billion) among 62 operating banks, according to the NBU. The bank's net profit for the first seven months of this year was UAH 37.16 billion.

AD
AD
AD
AD