Danske Bank appoints former ABN Amro banker as new CEO

Danske Bank has appointed the former head of ABN Amro's global retail and private banking activities, Chris Vogelzang, as its new chief executive officer.

Vogelzang will take up the new position on 1 June, while interim CEO Jesper Nielsen will continue in his current position as head of Banking DK and member of the executive board.

Chairman Karsten Dybvad said: "On behalf of the board of directors, I am pleased to announce Chris Vogelzang as our new CEO. He has extensive leadership and commercial experience within banking and has throughout his career managed difficult challenges and delivered good results. This makes Chris Vogelzang well qualified to lead Danske Bank.

"We have a big task ahead of us in continuing to rebuild trust and at the same time developing our business in pace with customer expectations and the technological development to ensure that we remain a leading Nordic bank."

Vogelzang said: "I am very grateful for the trust that the board of directors has shown in me. Despite its current challenges, Danske Bank has all the prerequisites to continue to be a strong and competitive bank that creates value for all its stakeholders.

"As the largest bank in Denmark and a leading Nordic financial institution, Danske Bank plays an important role not only for its many customers and investors, but also for society. I look very much forward to get going together with my 21,000 new colleagues."

At 1250 BST, the shares were up 4.2% at DKK113.15.