Lorenz Schöne (41), who holds a degree in business administration, has become head of the new department of Marketing & Business Development as of 01. May 2016, said the bank in a statement.

He is thus responsible for all marketing-related tasks, as well as product and channel management at Erste Bank. Mario Stadler is responsible for marketing communications as well as the bank's advertising presence in Austria.

Schöne is a trained banker and already gained experience in the retail banking business during his studies. He was born in Lower Saxony, and prior to joining Erste Bank in late 2011, he was active in a variety of leadership positions at Commerzbank in Frankfurt am Main. In Vienna he thereafter successfully led Erste's sales management, and also oversaw international retail projects of Erste Group.

“In the future, we will communicate with our customers in an even simpler manner over a variety of channels. Our clients will be able to customize their banking activities individually and adapt them to their specific needs. Both in branch offices and online, they will be offered tailored solutions which will make their financial lives as convenient as possible”, Schöne is certain.