Indrek Neivelt has that he is resigning from his position as CEO and chairman of the Hansabank Board and will leave the bank on April 22, 2005. Erkki Raasuke, vice chairman of the Board and head of the Group’s Estonian business unit, will be appointed as the new acting CEO and chairman of the board.
As a result of Swedbank’s buy-out of the minority shareholders the role of Hansabank Group in the new organization will be reviewed. Raasuke will be the acting CEO of Hansabank Group during this period.
“We are very pleased that Mr. Raasuke has accepted this important position as acting chairman. As a member of the management Mr. Raasuke has indeed been a leading contributor to Hansabank’s success story during the years,” said Anders Ek, chairman of the Supervisory Council.
“We appreciate Mr. Neivelt’s outstanding contribution to Hansabank during the past years. Together with his management he has developed the Hansabank Group into a strong pan-Baltic financial group and a clear leader in its domestic market. We accept his decision to step down from his position and wish him the best of luck in the future,” said Ek.
“One stage in our group’s history–as a listed company has come to end. This period has been very interesting and motivating,” said Neivelt. “I have been in Hansabank since the very beginning and the last 6 years as the CEO of the Group. Hansabank Group has developed very rapidly over the years and we have a strong market position in each of the three Baltic countries. I am happy to see that our Group is working as a common team and is stronger than ever. I am grateful to all my colleagues as it has been a pleasure working with you in Hansabank.”
“As a long-term and close colleague of Indrek Neivelt and vice-chairman of the Board I find it natural to assume the responsibility of acting CEO during this transitional period,” said Raasuke. “Hansabank is now in a new position and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues both in Hansabank and Swedbank. The recent changes do not influence our daily operations – our managers’ priorities are with our Group’s employees and clients and we continue to serve our customers with the same high quality as previously.”