Rohner speaking at a news conference last October, following the discovery that the Credit Suisse management spied on former executives including wealth manager Iqbal Kahn.
Keystone/Ennio Leanza
The chairman of the Credit Suisse bank says he does not expect to be voted out of office before his term ends next year following the departure of the bank’s CEO on Friday amid a surveillance scandal.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/urs
Urs Rohner says he has received “clear responses” from shareholders that they back the company board policy to accept CEO Tidjane Thiam decision to step down.
+ Shock over resignation of Credit Suisse CEO
However, observers say it remains to be seen whether the annual shareholders meeting at the end of March will support Rohner who wants to stay in his post until 2021. However, some international shareholders publicly called tor the chairman to step down.
“You can never be certain. But I have no indication that my re-election could be in danger,” Rohner is quoted as saying.
In an interview with the Schweiz am Wochenende weekly, Rohner said members of the Credit Suisse management had made “serious mistakes” by ordering the surveillance of other executives.
“Ultimately, we [the board] agreed that the reputation of the bank has suffered and that it is time for Tidjan Thiam to step down now,” Rohner is quoted as saying.
He added that the decision to let Thiam go was not a knee-jerk reaction but that the CEO had overall responsibility for his management team, although he was not involved in the surveillance policy himself.
Switzerland’s second-largest bank hopes Thiam’s exit will put an end to a scandal that hit its reputation and shocked the country’s financial community over the past few weeks.
He said the way forward was to have a transparent examination of the facts that led to the scandal and it needed “openness” and “constant dialogue with all stakeholders.”
Asked about the choice of the new CEO, Rohner said Thomas Gottstein was “not appointed because of his passport but because of his expertise in banking and his leadership qualities.”
Gottstein is the first Swiss citizen to run Credit Suisse in almost 20 years.
More
More
Credit Suisse braced for ‘spygate’ reputational fallout
This content was published on
How deeply will the Credit Suisse spying scandal affect the bank’s reputation among shareholders and private banking clients?
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Credit Suisse scandal shakes Zurich’s elite
This content was published on
What should have been a mere embarrassment for Switzerland’s second-largest bank has ended up as something far more significant.
This content was published on
But the bank denied that CEO Tidjane Thiam or the board of directors had been aware of either spying case. The blame has again been laid squarely with former executive Pierre-Olivier Bouée, who has been sacked. The bank had already apologized for spying on former wealth management head Iqbal Khan, who has subsequently moved on…
This content was published on
Credit Suisse’s Chief Operating Officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee has resigned following a spying scandal that has rocked Switzerland’s financial circles.
Credit Suisse to review surveillance ordered on star who defected
This content was published on
Credit Suisse has launched an inquiry into the bank’s decision to hire private investigators to follow a high-flying executive who defected to UBS.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.