Making sure banks are run by the right people - a podcast by European Central Bank

What defines good leadership? Which skills do those who run banks need and how can we, as the supervisor, help choose the right people for the job?

In this episode of The ECB Podcast, our host Katie Ranger and Frank Elderson, Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board, discuss leadership and our role in selecting banks’ leaders.

The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.

Published on 10 December 2021 and recorded on 8 December 2021.

In this episode:

01:25 – Leadership in banks and beyond
Which qualities define good leadership and why it is crucial that the right people are selected to run banks.

07:12 – The challenges facing banks and what they mean for their decision-makers
The skills and attributes needed by banks’ board members to address major challenges, such as climate change and digitalisation.

12:24 – Diversity on banks’ boards
How diversity can improve banks’ decision-making processes and resilience, and what can be done to foster greater diversity on their boards.

14:34 – Our role in ensuring banks are run by the right people
What we do, as the supervisor, to assess the suitability of banks’ board members, what fit and proper supervision is, and why we have revised our fit and proper guide.

20:43 – Making sure all board members play their part
How a bank’s board is like a rowing team and why its members must be accountable, both individually and collectively, for what happens within the bank.

24:31 – Our guest’s “hot tip” for our listeners
Our guest Frank Elderson shares his tips on how each of us can foster a more diverse and inclusive environment.

Additional material:

Guide to fit and proper assessments, December 2021
https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/ecb/pub/pdf/ssm.fit_and_proper_guide_update202112~d66f230eca.en.pdf

Banking supervision blog post by Frank Elderson and Elizabeth McCaul, ECB Banking Supervision seeking greater diversity within banks, 15 June 2021 https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/press/blog/2021/html/ssm.blog210615~31020cb68d.en.html

Explainer: What is fit and proper supervision?
https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/about/ssmexplained/html/fap.en.html

Supervision Newsletter, Bolstering fit and proper supervision, 18 November 2020
https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/press/publications/newsletter/2020/html/ssm.nl201118_3.en.html

The ECB Podcast: Fighting biases and empowering women: A conversation on female leadership and gender equality, 8 March 2021
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/tvservices/podcast/html/ecb.pod210308_episode15.en.html

The ECB Podcast: Tackling climate change as a central bank: Between motivation, obligation and limitation, 12 May 2021
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/tvservices/podcast/html/ecb.pod210512_episode16.en.html

The ECB Podcast: A conversation about female empowerment, the need for an inclusive recovery and transatlantic cooperation, 15 July 2021
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/tvservices/podcast/html/ecb.pod210715_episode18.en.html

ECB Banking Supervision
https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html

European Central Bank
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html

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