Christoph Ochs replaces Hanker as Chairman
Peter Hanker has resigned from his position as Chairman of the Genoverband. He stepped down „at his own request“, the association said in a statement. The decision was explained as one that Hanker made at the end of last year. He had decided „not to make himself available for re-election to the Supervisory Board after two terms in office during the regular reconstitution.“
Christoph Ochs, CEO of VR Bank Südpfalz based in Landau, has been elected as the new Chairman of the 28-member Supervisory Board. Ochs has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Genoverband since 2023 and was also a member of the Audit Commission. Additionally, he holds other positions within the cooperative network, such as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Raiffeisen Waren-Zentrale Rhein-Main AG.
In office since 2016
Hanker had led the supervisory board since 2016. The Genoverband serves as an auditing and consulting association, an educational provider, and a representative for 2,600 cooperatives in 14 federal states, including around 300 banks. Professionally, Hanker has been the CEO of Volksbank Mittelhessen, headquartered in Gießen, since 2001.
Shortly after the unexpected resignation of CEO Ingmar Rega at the end of January, Hanker is said to have distanced himself from internal conflicts at the Genoverband. The backdrop seems to be a damaging letter that circulated within the cooperative sector, which reportedly contained accusations against former CEO Rega, as well as other top executives including the now-departed Hanker, which were considered potential violations of compliance.
An external law firm tasked with investigating the allegations has not yet fully completed its work but confirmed that Hanker has been „completely exonerated“, according to the Genoverband. The association itself had previously announced that it would comment on the details once the investigation is concluded.
Successor question
According to industry sources, Thomas Stegmüller raised the accusations. The former managing director of Awado Bankenberatung had joined from competitor ZEB in 2024 to expand the consulting activities of the Genoverband’s subsidiary. He is no longer working for the company.
The successor to former CEO Ingmar Rega remains unresolved. Since Rega’s departure two months ago, the association has been led on an interim basis by board member Marco Schulz, supported by fellow board members Katja Lewalter-Düssel and Peter Götz. The board and Supervisory Board thanked Hanker „for his tireless dedication“ and awarded him the Gold Honorary Badge of the Association. „With Peter Hanker, we always had an expert in cooperative organizations and cooperative banking, as well as an excellent business expert with extensive management and governance experience by our side“, said Schulz.
He emphasised Hanker’s role in the merger of the former Rhineland-Westphalian Cooperative Association with the Genoverband Association in 2017.
„By appointing Christoph Ochs, we are gaining a recognised banking expert with deep roots in the cooperative network to lead our supervisory body“, states Lewalter-Düssel. Ochs is said to have good industry knowledge and is well-connected.
