Saxo Bank today announced changes to its Board of Directors.

At the annual general meeting of the Saxo Bank Group, the shareholders have elected Kari Stadigh, former Group CEO and President of Sampo plc, as new Chairman of the Board. Kari Stadigh will replace Daniel Donghui Li, CEO of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, who will continue as a regular member of the Board.

Yifan Zhang, Financial Sector GM and Management Committee Member of Geely Holding Group, has been elected as a member of the Board and will replace Ian Zhang, CFO of Polestar, who has served as a member of the Board since 2018.

Following the annual general meeting today the Board of Directors consists of:

• Kari Stadigh, Chairman
• Henrik Normann, Vice Chairman
• Daniel Donghui Li, Board Member
• Yifan Zhang, Board Member
• Patrick Lapveteläinen, Board Member
• Preben Damgaard, Board Member

Kim Fournais, CEO and founder, commented:

“We would like to thank Daniel Donghui Li for his important contribution to the Saxo Bank Group over the last two years and we highly appreciate that he will continue as a member of the Board. Under Daniel’s chairmanship, we have made great progress in terms of expanding Saxo’s relevance to more clients and partners – especially in China with the establishment of our joint venture, Saxo Fintech, which truly strengthens our presence and opportunities in China with the support of our partner, Geely. On the same note, we thank Ian Zhang for his dedication and contribution to the Saxo Bank Group during his tenure on the Board – and we are delighted to welcome Yifan Zhang as new member of the Board.

We are very proud that Kari Stadigh, one of the most renowned and respected leaders in the financial industry, will join the Group as our new Chairman. With his deep knowledge of the market and exceptional track record, we are well-positioned to execute on our strategy and further scale and grow our business.”

Kari Stadigh commented:

”Saxo Bank has a unique business model and very strong shareholders, and with their full support, I am looking forward to becoming part of this growth journey. Saxo Bank’s powerful trading and investment platforms are the best in the market and have great potential globally – especially as more people across the world look for intuitive platforms to manage their investments.”

Kari Stadigh served as Group CEO and President of Sampo plc from 2009 to 2019. He was Deputy CEO of Sampo plc for the period between 2001 and 2009.

Mr Stadigh was Chair of the Board of Directors of Mandatum Life Insurance Company Limited in the period from 2001 to 2019. He served as Chair of the Board of Directors of If P&C Insurance Holding Ltd from 2002 to 2019. Mr Stadigh was Member of the Board of Directors of Nordea Bank AB during the 2010–2018 period. He was Chair of the Board Risk Committee (BRIC) of Nordea Bank AB from 2011 to 2018.