A surprise departure. 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”. Arrived from Societe Generale in September 2020, Philippe Heim will have “accelerated the transformation of the model of La Banque Postale”, underlines the establishment. His departure, the day of the publication of the results of the first half of 2023 of the group, is a surprise when he had been renewed at the end of February for five years at the head of the group.
Perhaps a harbinger, the bank announced on July 20 the departure of Deputy Managing Director Olivier Lévy-Barouch, “against a background of strategic disagreement over investment activity”, according to Letter A.
Stéphane Dedeyan, director of CNP Assurances, a subsidiary of La Banque Postale, “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.
Philippe Heim had taken over on his arrival the current mandate of Rémy Weber, who left “following a divergence of views on the governance of CNP Assurances”, then specified La Banque Postale.
His record, in just 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. The establishment has also expanded in the asset management segment, with the acquisition this year of La Financière de l’Échiquier (LFDE), attached to LBP AM.
A graduate of ESCP, Sciences Po and ENA, Philippe Heim began his career in 1997 at the Ministry of Economy and Finance where he held various positions.
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 the cabinet of 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 French bank managers, after those of Laurent Mignon, who was succeeded by Nicolas Namias last December at the head of BPCE, and Frédéric Oudéa replaced by Slawomir Krupa at the head of of Societe Generale.
