Luc Popelier became Chief Executive Officer of Hamburg Commercial Bank with effect from 1 September 2024, succeeding Ulrik Lackschewitz, who had served in an interim capacity. Popelier joined the German lender after stepping down as Chief Financial Officer of Belgian banking and insurance group KBC, a move that KBC had announced publicly on 11 June 2024.
As Popelier vacated the CFO chair at KBC, Bartel Puelinckx was appointed to fill it on the same date. Both institutions announced the changes on 11 June 2024, giving stakeholders close to three months' notice.
HAMBURG COMMERCIAL BANK
Hamburg Commercial Bank, known by its abbreviation HCOB, is a German corporate and real-estate lender that was privatised in 2018 when a consortium of financial investors led by Cerberus and J.C. Flowers acquired the bank from its former public-sector owners, the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.
HCOB operates in segments including real estate finance, shipping finance, and project finance.
KBC CFO APPOINTMENT
Puelinckx joined KBC Group in 1992 and built his career through senior international roles within the organisation. The appointment was subject to approval by the National Bank of Belgium and the European Central Bank, consistent with the fitness and propriety requirements applicable to key function holders at institutions supervised under the Single Supervisory Mechanism.