Société Générale has announced that its Board of Directors has selected William Connelly as the future Chairman of the Board of Directors, with the appointment to take effect at the end of the General Meeting in May 2026. The decision was taken at a board session held on 10 April 2025.
Connelly will succeed Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, who has served as Chairman of Société Générale since 2015. His chairmanship has included the appointment of Slawomir Krupa as Chief Executive.
CONNELLY'S BACKGROUND
The announcement was published on the Société Générale website and through stock exchange disclosure channels. Connelly has been a director of Société Générale since 2017, chairs its Risk Committee and sits on its Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee; he began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank in 1980 and led ING's wholesale banking operations from 2011 to 2016. The selection is subject to shareholders renewing his term as a director at the General Meeting on 20 May 2025; the chairman is then appointed by the Board.
STRATEGIC PLAN
The transition in the chairmanship arrives as Société Générale continues to execute the strategic plan that Chief Executive Krupa has been implementing since his appointment in 2023. The plan has prioritised simplification of the group's structure and improvement of capital efficiency.