Dr Sonja Rauner to join Helaba's Executive Board

The appointment is subject to approval by the relevant German and European banking regulators. Dr Rauner will succeed Christian Rhino as Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO). As previously announced in June, Christian Rhino is stepping down from Helaba's Executive Board at his own request with effect from the end of his contractual term in order to pursue new professional challenges.

Since 2005, Dr Rauner has held various positions at the global banking group HSBC, most recently as Head of Operations at HSBC Continental Europe. Prior to this, Dr Rauner, who holds a PhD in mathematics, served in various management roles within the areas of Transformation, Operations and Transaction Banking. As a Managing Director, among other roles, she had responsibility for setting up HSBC Service Company Germany GmbH and driving its expansion. Additionally, she served as Head of Operations at HSBC Germany. After completing her studies at the University of Bonn, she became a research assistant at the university's Institute for Applied Mathematics.

"Dr Rauner brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of leadership in IT, Operations and digitalising business processes. We are delighted to have her on board as our new CIO and COO", remarked Stefan G. Reuß, Chairman of Helaba's Supervisory Board.