The human code: leadership at the helm of banking

Interview series ‘CEO Perspectives in Banking’ – part 3: Leadership

By Bjorn Cumps

Professor of Financial Services Innovation

29 September 2025

What does it mean to lead a bank today? In the algorithm-driven world of modern finance, it’s tempting to believe that leadership has become a peripheral function: a supporting act to data, dashboards, and machine learning. Yet, speaking to ten Belgian banking CEOs, we see a different kind of leadership come to light. Not one defined by spreadsheets or slogans, but by presence, clarity, decisiveness, and purpose. These leaders don’t merely manage change – they embody it.

For them, leadership means being the person who brings clarity when uncertainty reigns, who creates space for debate even under pressure, who has the courage to act when others hesitate, and who knows when to listen rather than speak. It’s about leading in complexity without losing the human touch. Across all ten institutions, big and small, cooperative and commercial, one thing is clear: the essence of leadership in banking is evolving. And it matters more than ever.

From these ten interviews, three major lessons emerge that transcend context and offer enduring value for current and future leaders alike.

Lesson 1: Leadership starts with purpose, but lives in practice

It’s one thing to have a bold vision – but it’s quite another to turn it into a living reality. Purpose is the starting point of these CEOs’ leadership, but it must be anchored in daily decisions, behaviour, and visibility.

Marc Raisière of Belfius is perhaps the most expressive in this regard. He took over a bank in crisis and infused it with a culture of ambition, care, and emotional connection. His mantra? "Set a dream that seems impossible." From launching what would become one of the world’s leading banking apps to reinventing the bank’s mission, Raisière leads by projecting a big vision and making sure others start believing it.

Peter Adams at ING Belgium views purpose in a more structured way. He speaks of setting a crystal-clear direction so that others can align and make autonomous decisions. His leadership is rooted in the belief that the CEO should never be the bottleneck who makes all decisions, but the enabler for others. He crafts a vision which serves as a guiding framework for teams to make their own trade-offs.

Leen Van den Neste at vdk bank finds purpose in proximity. She’s not just visible, she’s present, as much as possible. Her version of purpose is felt in daily conversations, ‘town hall’ meetings with the entire staff, and spontaneous coffee chats. She makes leadership tangible. For her, being a leader is not about controlling everything from the top down but about sensing what matters to employees.

Across these examples, the pattern is clear. Purpose must go beyond mission statements. It must be visible in the way a CEO lives the strategy, translates vision into action, and makes purpose part of the organisational rhythm. Vision is inert until it’s embodied.

Lesson 2: Decision-making is where leadership manifests itself

If purpose is the soul of leadership, decision-making is its muscle. Leadership does not manifest itself in easy moments, but in complex decisions, trade-offs, and ambiguities. It’s not just about choosing correctly – but it’s about choosing clearly, transparently, and with conviction.

Michael Anseeuw of BNP Paribas Fortis says: "If it’s an easy decision, someone else should have already taken it." His role is to resolve complexity and own up to the consequences. He stresses the importance of debate within his executive team but recognises that leadership ultimately means carrying the final responsibility. He compares decision-making to friction in physics: conflict may be uncomfortable, but it can be beneficial too.

Inge Ampe at BankB has an approach which balances two critical elements: performance and connection. “Performance without connection won’t survive in the long term, and connection without results means you’re not running a company but a social club,” she explains. Ampe also embraces intuition as part of her leadership toolkit – a sense she’s sharpened over decades.

Stefaan Decraene of Rabobank adds another layer. When it comes to decision-making, Decraene strikes a balance between data-driven analysis and intuition. “It’s always more data-driven than gut feeling,” he explains. However, he acknowledges that certain decisions, particularly those involving people, require an element of instinct. “There’s always chemistry involved when choosing the right people,” he says.

Peter Devlies at Argenta suggests that over time, leaders develop what he calls "structured intuition". The more patterns you’ve seen, the faster you can assess a situation. Decision-making, then, becomes less about certainty and more about synthesis.

What unites these ten CEOs is a shared understanding that real leadership is revealed in the clarity of choices made under pressure. Philippe Voisin of Crelan phrased it as follows: "True leaders say yes to opportunity. They dare to lead. They smell opportunities and act." For him, leadership is not about certainty but about the ability to move forward with integrity, even when the future is unclear.

Lesson 3: Culture is the multiplier of leadership

You can have the best strategy in the world, but if your culture is weak, it will not land. Culture is the multiplier of leadership. It determines whether ideas take root, whether people speak up, and whether teams push boundaries or play it safe.

Johan Thijs of KBC speaks with conviction about creating a culture of challenge. He insists on building teams that are unafraid to question, disagree, and confront even the CEO. At KBC, leadership is not about hierarchy. It’s about the quality of arguments. "If my direct reports don’t challenge me, how can I expect it from the rest of the organisation? A culture of openness must start at the top. That’s how innovation is born, and trust is built.”

Peter Adams institutionalises culture-building at ING Belgium. He holds monthly off-site sessions with his executive team focused not only on operations, but on team dynamics and collaboration. “These sessions focus on evaluating past performance, setting future goals, and identifying ways in which team members can support each other.”

Dirk Wouters of Bank Van Breda offers another perspective. He believes leadership begins with employee motivation. "If your team is motivated and competent, everything else follows," he says. His culture-building philosophy starts with care: making work meaningful, keeping burnout rates low, and showing yourself as an authentic leader.

Marc Raisière takes a more emotional view. At Belfius, culture is about love. Yes, love! He uses the word deliberately, arguing that emotional connection builds loyalty, resilience, and excellence. He fosters this by setting bold goals and then creating space for vulnerability, creativity, and commitment.

These ten CEOs share a common emphasis on building complementary yet diverse teams that challenge each other. They all actively cultivate conflict in their leadership teams: not destructive conflict, but cathartic dialogue. They welcome contrarian views, ensuring that leadership doesn’t become an echo chamber. As Thijs puts it: "When someone challenges my point of view with solid reasoning, I listen. And if they prove me wrong, I have no problem changing my stance. That’s what leadership is about: adapting, based on new insights."

Finally, these CEOs highlight that culture isn’t soft. On the contrary, it’s extremely hard. Culture isn’t what hangs on walls. It’s what people feel when they enter the building, in meetings, in hallway conversations and in client interactions. It’s a challenging yet the most enduring legacy a leader can shape.

A call to the next generation of leaders

If there’s one message that echoes through all ten conversations, it’s this: banking is still, at its core, a people business. The future may be digital, but leadership will always be personal. In a world awash with complexity, the need for clarity, courage, and compassion has never been greater.

So, the message to the next generation of banking leaders is: don’t aim to be perfect. Aim to be real. Don’t chase power. Earn trust. Be the person who says ‘yes’ to opportunity, ‘no’ to mediocrity, and ‘maybe’ to the messy middle where real leadership lies. Show adaptability, listen, and never get too comfortable.

The banking sector doesn’t just need more innovation. It needs more visionaries with boots on the ground. More decathletes than divas. More builders than bosses. Because the challenges ahead aren’t just technical. They’re inherently human. And they need leaders who are too.

This article stems from a unique interview series by Bjorn Cumps, Professor of Financial Services Innovation and FinTech at Vlerick Business School. He interviewed ten leading banking CEOs to explore what it really means to be at the helm of a bank in today’s fast-evolving world. From navigating digital transformation and embracing AI, to leading with purpose and driving sustainability, each conversation brings fresh perspectives on the responsibilities and challenges of modern banking leadership. Ten CEOs, ten unique views, and a shared belief that banking is about far more than interest rates. It’s about people, purpose, and progress.