Swift CEO calls time on seven “intense” years
Swift’s CEO Gottfried Leibbrandt will be stepping down at the end of June 2019, after seven years in the role.
“Gottfried’s tenure has been remarkable,” says Swift chairman Yawar Shah. “During his time as CEO, the industry has faced unprecedented change and challenges, but under his leadership Swift has transformed itself to become a much stronger, more modern and agile organisation that is now driving change across the industry.”
“It has been an intense but rewarding seven years. I am perhaps most proud of gpi.”
Leibbrandt adds: “It has been an intense but rewarding seven years. I am perhaps most proud of gpi.”
Quite a lot has happened during his tenure – many Sibos conferences, its global payments innovation (gpi) initiative (which he likes), various cyber dramas – e.g. Bangladesh Bank, and of course revamps to keep pace with the modern world.
Leibbrandt also oversaw the expansion of its financial crime compliance portfolio and securities services and move into real-time domestic payments.
According to Swift, during his tenure, its FIN messaging volumes have nearly doubled, rising from 4.6 billion a year to nearly eight billion, while FileAct volumes have tripled and InterAct traffic has risen sevenfold.
In terms of that Bangladesh Bank event, he devised and implemented Swift’s Customer Security Programme in response.
Stephan Zimmermann, Swift’s deputy chairman and chair of the board’s human resources committee, says the six-month notice period will “enable us to ensure an orderly succession, and undertake a rigorous search process which will look both inside and outside the organisation”.
While Leibbrandt will have spent seven years as a CEO by next year, he in fact joined Swift in 2005 to focus on the development of the Swift2010 strategy. Upon completion of the strategy, he was appointed head of standards. In 2007, he was promoted to head of marketing. He was appointed CEO in July 2012.
Prior to joining Swift, Leibbrandt worked for McKinsey & Company for 18 years as a partner in the Amsterdam office and a co-leader of the European payments practice.
Swift or Leibbrandt don’t reveal what he will be doing next year.
