Hellenic Bank appoints German finance specialist Oliver Gatzke CEO

Hellenic Bank has named Oliver Gatzke, a German banker with years of experience in both financial restructuring and fintech as CEO.

The 52-year old Gatzke is well-known in European banking circles for his work in privatising and restructuring Hamburg Commercial Bank.

“Gatzke successfully initiated the privatization of the bank and played a leading role in its financial restructuring. In addition, as CTO, Gatzke was responsible for the extensive business and IT transformation, including the bank’s strategic digitisation projects. ”said Chairman of the Hamburg Commercial Bank Supervisory Board Juan Rodríguez Inciarte when Gatzke resigned last year.

HandelsBlatt has commented on Gatzke’s skills in creating the special structure required to privatise HSH Nordbank.

“Oliver Gatzke has a unique selling proposition among the chief financial officers of German banks: He was the only one to accompany the transformation of a Landesbank into a private institute. HSH Nordbank, which belonged to the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, became Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB).

Obviously,  the then 50-year-old Gatzke, the only Hamburg native at the bank, did a good job. But reticent in the Hanseatic way he is, he doesn’t talk about it. However, he has not escaped the fact that the work of management in the industry is viewed with respect.”

Gatzke started his career in corporate banking at Deutsche Bank. Before moving to HCOB, he worked for the Big Four company KPMG and advised financial service providers on transaction and restructuring issues.

Gatzke had headed the finance department at what was then HSH Nordbank since 2013 and eventually was named CFO.  Around three years later, the 52-year-old was appointed CFO of HSH Nordbank. He has also been a partner at KPMG.

Gatzke is married with three children, lives in Hamburg and will soon move to Cyprus. He replaces Ioannis Matsis as CEO who left the bank on September 1, 2020.