KBC Group Appoints Bartel Puelinckx as Chief Financial Officer

KBC Group has appointed Bartel Puelinckx as its new Chief Financial Officer, with the role taking effect on 1 September 2024. The Belgian banking and insurance group confirmed the appointment in a statement published on its newsroom, noting that Puelinckx will succeed Luc Popelier, who is departing to become Chief Executive Officer of Hamburg Commercial Bank.

Hamburg Commercial Bank, a specialist lender focused on real estate and corporate finance, was previously known as HSH Nordbank before its privatisation.

REGULATORY APPROVALS STILL PENDING

The appointment of Puelinckx is subject to approval by the National Bank of Belgium and the European Central Bank, as is mandatory for senior executive roles at significant institutions regulated under the European Union's banking supervisory framework. The dual-regulator clearance process reflects KBC's status as a directly supervised institution under the ECB's Single Supervisory Mechanism.

KBC Group operates across Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.

HANDOVER AND BACKGROUND

KBC's statement confirmed that the formal handover between Popelier and Puelinckx is planned to coincide with the September start date, contingent on regulatory sign-off from the NBB and ECB. Puelinckx joined Kredietbank in 1992, served as CFO of ČSOB in the Czech Republic (2010-2014), Senior General Manager of KBC Group Finance (2014), CEO of KBC Securities (2016) and, from 2019, Senior General Manager Group Compliance.