Nordea appoints new HR chief and reorganizes Retail Banking

Nordea Bank Abp announced further steps in its ongoing transformation, including the appointment of Karen Tobiasen as Chief Human Resources Officer and a reorganization of its Retail Banking division. The changes, effective July 1, 2016, aim to sharpen customer focus and adapt the bank's structure to evolving client needs.

Karen Tobiasen will join Nordea as Chief Human Resources Officer and become a member of the Group Executive Management (GEM). She will be responsible for leading HR and organizational development to support the bank's transformation agenda. Tobiasen comes to Nordea from Philips Lighting, where she held global responsibility for HR and Transformation.

The Retail Banking division will be split into two distinct business areas: Personal Banking and Commercial & Business Banking. Topi Manner, currently Head of Banking in Finland and Baltics, has been appointed Head of Personal Banking and will also join the Group Executive Management. Mads G. Jakobsen will lead the newly formed Commercial & Business Banking unit. Lennart Jacobsen, who has led Retail Banking for the past three years, will depart after a transition period.

"We are currently transforming the bank to become the bank our customers want us to be. It means a significantly sharpened customer focus and adapting both our processes and systems to the rapid changes in our customers’ different needs," said Group CEO Casper von Koskull. "For a transformation agenda to be successful, HR must have a big role."

These organizational adjustments and executive appointments are part of Nordea's broader strategy to solidify its position as a digital, agile, and efficient bank across its Nordic and Baltic markets. The full implementation, including financial reporting adjustments, is expected by the end of the year.