Lars Stoy made a flawless first public appearance in his new role as ING Germany CEO. Having been in office for just five weeks, the former German banker was unpretentious and modest at his first annual press conference at the beginning of February, introducing himself with the succinct words „I am the new man“.

Despite his eloquent and self-confident appearance, Stoy noted that he wouldn't have said no to a few more weeks before his first appearance in front of the press. But as an adopted Rhinelander, he has been familiar with Cologne's Basic Law for quite a few years. There it says „Et kütt wie et kütt“, which roughly translates as what will be will be.

Lars, the newcomer, didn't come across quite as jovial as his predecessor Nick Jue. The Dutchman, who made the former DiBa the most popular direct bank for a time after the takeover by ING, impressed many with his casual demeanour. To a certain extent, this was probably due to his origins. Hierarchies don't count for much in Dutch companies. Being on first-name terms with the boss at the coffee machine in the office, and not just critically scrutinising his decisions behind closed doors, has always been common practice there.

Stoy, who most recently headed Deutsche Bank's German private client business, is differently brought up. Nevertheless, he tried to convey that he had already internalised ING's corporate culture. He is used to open-plan offices, as he has not sat in an individual office for many years, but instead seeks contact with colleagues. He has been used to the informal culture for more than a year, and is quite happy to sometimes avoid wearing a suit, appearing dressed in jeans and a jacket. „You'll be surprised, I don't wear one at home either,“ he said.

However, he made it clear that the Rhineland „Et kütt wie et kütt“ mentality has its limits regarding hard figures, data and facts, which he says he loves so much. And, of course, the question of how to continue ING's „60-year success story“ in this country. His predecessor Jue set the bar high. ING Germany delivered the best result in the company's history in 2023, and the second-best in 2024. With the kind support of the historic turnaround in interest rates, with which the eurozone said goodbye to the decade of zero interest rates in 2022.

Stoy, who started his career at Commerzbank in 1994, worked at BHW Bausparkasse for many years, and joined the Management Board of Postbank, which was not yet integrated into the Deutsche Bank Group at the time, in 2017, made it clear that he wanted to keep ING on a growth trajectory. To this end, he wants to fish for new customers among Generation Z on the one hand, and deepen existing customer relationships on the other, for example in the much-coveted affluent segment, who have disposable assets of around 100,000 to 500,000 euros.

ING will continue to focus on offers that promise a clear conscience. „Even if there is a perceived sustainability rollback, we will continue to support the green transformation,“ said Stoy on his debut as Head of Germany.