Bruno Colmant steps down as CEO of Degroof Petercam

Bruno Colmant will be stepping down from his post as CEO of Degroof Petercam to focus on the bank’s private banking activities.

At the helm of Degroof Petercam since 2019, Colmant told Belgian paper L’Écho that when he stepped up as CEO, he had been head of macro research since 2015. He thought of his role as “securing a transition, to put the group in order.”

Following an anti-money laundering audit in 2019 by the Belgian central bank, Degroof Petercam confirmed it would implement recommendations made by the National Bank.

Colmant told L’Écho that roles in senior management and the private banking department weren’t compatible in the long-term. The outgoing CEO will remain on the bank’s boards.

The news of Colmant stepping down as CEO was first reported by Belgian media late on 3 June and has since been confirmed. The search for a successor has been ongoing since the spring with no official announcement yet.

Since the merger of Degroof and Petercam in 2015, the bank is the leading Belgian private bank. It has been present in Luxembourg for around 30 years in Luxembourg, with around 400 staff, led by Bruno Houdmont.