New chief executive appointed to KBC Bank Ireland

Peter Roebben has been appointed as the new chief executive of KBC Bank Ireland, assuming the role from Wim Verbraeken, who will return to the Belgian bank's head office in Brussels.

Mr Roebben (52), who is currently a senior general manager of group credit risk at KBC Group’s head office in Brussels, described KBC Bank Ireland as a “a digital front runner within the KBC Group” and he is “relishing the opportunity of coming to Dublin”.

“I am determined that we will be the positive force for choice in the market,” he said.

During his 27-year career with KBC, Mr Roebben has spent spells working in London, Madrid, Paris, the Czech Republic and Hungary. In 2017 he returned to Brussels, where he was responsible for directing and supervising credit risk across the KBC group-wide bank and insurance operations. He is fluent in Dutch, French, English, Spanish and German, and is married with two children.

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April handover

Mr Roebben will take up the position on April 1st, and Mr Verbraeken, after more than 20 years of international assignments, including six years as chief executive of KBC Ireland, will return to the group in a new position as senior general manager at KBC Group’s head office in Brussels.

Luc Popelier, chairman of KBC Bank Ireland, expressed gratitude to Mr Verbraeken for his "leadership, strong performance, the successful transformation of the bank and the relentless effort he has put in over the last five years – in often challenging circumstances – to effectively deal with the legacy portfolio of KBC Bank Ireland, while at the same time successfully establishing a new digital-first retail and micro-SME-focused bank in the Irish market".

Mr Roebben's appointment has received approval from the Central Bank of Ireland and the European Central Bank.