It is a surprise. La Banque Postale announced on Wednesday August 2 in a press release the departure of its Chairman of the Management Board, Philippe Heim, who intends “to devote himself to new development projects in responsible finance”. Mr. Heim, who arrived from Societe Generale in September 2020, was reappointed at the end of February for five years. Perhaps a harbinger, the bank announced on July 20 the departure of Deputy Managing Director Olivier Lévy-Barouch, “against a background of strategic disagreement on investment activity”, according to the media La Lettre A.

Stéphane Dedeyan, director of CNP Assurances, a subsidiary of the Postal Bank, “will act as interim head of the bank until the appointment “in the coming weeks” of the new boss by the supervisory board, the statement said.

The record of the outgoing director, in barely three years, is rather rich. It was under his leadership that La Banque Postale took over CNP Assurances as part of the creation of a large public financial center, a project presented by the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, in August 2018. has also expanded in the asset management segment, with the acquisition this year of La Financière de l’Echiquier (LFDE), attached to LBP AM.

Former adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy

A graduate of ESCP, Sciences Po and ENA, Philippe Heim began his career in 1997 at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. From 2004, this jazz enthusiast notably advised Nicolas Sarkozy, at the time Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry, before becoming in 2006 director of cabinet to Jean-François Copé, Minister of the Budget. and government spokesperson.

In 2007, he joined the corporate and investment bank of Société Générale, then at the forefront in Europe. He will rise through the ranks to the position of right-hand man to Managing Director, Frédéric Oudéa, in charge of international retail activities, financial services and insurance.

This is the third departure in less than a year of a French bank executive, after those of Laurent Mignon, succeeded by Nicolas Namias in December 2022 at the head of BPCE, and Frédéric Oudéa replaced by Slawomir Krupa at management of Societe Generale.