Deutsche Bank announced today that Gerald Podobnik has been appointed Co-Head of the Corporate Bank, effective immediately.

He will replace Ole Matthiessen who is leaving the bank to pursue other opportunities.

Based in Frankfurt, Podobnik will partner with Michael Diederich to jointly lead the Corporate Bank globally. He will also become a member of the Group Management Committee. Podobnik will report to Fabrizio Campelli, Management Board Member and Head of Corporate Bank and Investment Bank.

Podobnik has 23 years of experience at Deutsche Bank, having held a range of roles across the bank in both Frankfurt and London, most recently as Chief Financial Officer of the Corporate Bank and Investment Bank.

He originally started his career at the bank in 2003, becoming Global Head of Capital Solutions in 2012. He then took on additional roles, including leading Financial Institutions Debt Capital Markets (DCM) across Europe, before becoming Head of Financial Institutions Financing and Solutions for EMEA, in addition to leading Capital Solutions and Sustainable Financing globally. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Corporate Bank in 2019, before also taking on responsibility for the financial matters of the Investment Bank in 2022. Podobnik has been a member of the Corporate Bank Executive Committee for seven years.

He is also committed to public service and was a member of the Sustainable Finance Advisory Committee of the German Government for two legislative periods.

“Gerald has a deep understanding of our Corporate Bank strategy, footprint, people and financial performance, gained from successfully contributing to the division’s growth path in his CFO role over the past seven years. Coupled with his capital markets expertise, his extensive international network and his strong long-term relationships with clients, he is uniquely positioned to take on this leadership role,” says Fabrizio Campelli, Member of the Management Board and Head of Corporate Bank and Investment Bank.

“Together, Michael and Gerald make a strong and highly complementary partnership, and the combined leadership experience, divisional knowledge and coverage capability that they will provide positions us strongly to focus on growth, scale our operating model and drive capital discipline – as we are delivering on our ambition to be the clear European Champion. We thank Ole for his significant contributions to Deutsche Bank over the past 18 years, most notably driving the growth of our Cash Management business in recent years, and we wish him well in his future endeavours”.

Podobnik says, “I am honoured to be stepping into this role at such a pivotal moment for both the business and our industry. Across every market we serve, our clients are navigating rapid technological change, evolving regulation and shifting economic dynamics, and we are dedicated to supporting them in this. I look forward to partnering closely with Michael and our teams around the world to deliver disciplined growth with a client-first mindset and build on our tremendous momentum.”