Brigitte Réthier Appointed to KfW Board
The Supervisory Board of KfW Bank Group has appointed Brigitte Réthier as a member of the Executive Board. She will take up her position no later than October 1, 2026.
The Supervisory Board of KfW Bank Group has appointed Brigitte Réthier, 56, as a member of the bank's Executive Board for a four-year term, effective no later than October 1, 2026.
Réthier is set to take responsibility for the "International Financial Cooperation" business division. This encompasses KfW Development Bank, which handles international financial cooperation with developing and emerging countries, as well as its subsidiary DEG - Deutsche Entwicklungs- und Investitionsgesellschaft, which finances private sector investments in these markets.
In this role, Brigitte Réthier succeeds Christiane Laibach, who is retiring after 36 years with KfW Bank Group. The export and project finance segment, which remains with the subsidiary KfW IPEX-Bank, will be assigned to a newly structured board area under Melanie Kehr's responsibility.
This reallocation aims to ensure that KfW's domestic development activities and the distinct competitive business of its subsidiary KfW IPEX-Bank are managed by separate board members. The move is intended to better address current challenges facing the German economy.
Brigitte Réthier brings over three decades of experience in international banking. She joins KfW from Commerzbank, where she held senior positions in institutional client management and transaction banking sales.