New Raiffeisen CEO: Cooperatives Put Pressure On
Who will succeed Heinz Huber? Since the abrupt departure of the former CEO, Raiffeisen has been searching for a successor. The carousel of candidates is starting to turn.
Heinz Huber's departure from Raiffeisen came as a surprise. Just days before Christmas, he announced his resignation as CEO, revealing plans to take over as Chairman of Graubündner Kantonalbank by July of this year.
However, it wasn't just his decision that caused confusion – it was also the way he left. According to «ch media» newspapers on Wednesday (article behind paywall), Huber reportedly departed after the Christmas holidays without a word of farewell.
His abrupt exit has unsetteled some employees. The newspaper quotes staff members who described his departure as «totally disingenuous» and simply «unprofessional».
The Veterans' Fears
Who will run the cooperative bank in the future? The search for a successor has been launched. Until it is clear who will win the race, Head of Finance Christian Poerschke is running the business on a interim basis.
Will Huber be succeeded by another external candidate? Raiffeisen veterans fear so, as there is no clear successor within the current Executive Board.
CEO Required from Within the Company
However, the cooperative banks seem to want precisely that – a leader from within their own ranks.
There are a lot of potential candidates. Internally, the head of the Raiffeisen cooperative in Zurich, Matthias Läubli, is considered to have a good chance, as is Christopher Baumgartner, head of Raiffeisen Nidwalden. The name of Daniel With, head of Raiffeisenbank Rohrdorferberg-Fislisbach and board member of Raiffeisen Basel, and Pia-Maria Rubitschon, former head of Raiffeisen Basel and current head of Raiffeisen Bichelsee, have also been mentioned.
