NEWS
BPER Banca Group and IBM to modernise core banking systems
BPER Banca Group , one of the largest banking groups in Italy , has signed a four-year agreement with IBM to help accelerate the bank ’ s evolution into a truly digital business .
The four-year agreement will expand the bank ’ s hybrid cloud strategy to modernise its technology infrastructure and applications , combining the security , scalability and reliability of IBM Cloud for Financial Services to help meet the compliance requirements of the heavily regulated industry with the resiliency of IBM z16 and Red Hat OpenShift – a leading Kubernetes platform . As security and privacy remain paramount for financial institutions , this highly secured hybrid cloud environment will allow the bank to manage mission-critical data , services and workflows across multiple platforms to improve operational efficiency and drive innovation .
“ Innovation and digitalization are two of the main priorities on which BPER Banca is focusing ,” said Elvio Sonnino , Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of BPER Banca . “ The banking sector is undergoing rapid transformation and the benefits and potentials that emerge from the dynamics of technological innovation are very wide . The collaboration with IBM will allow us to carry out an important technological upgrade to achieve greater synergy of processes and to expand the offer of quality omnichannel services , to respond even more effectively to the ever-increasing needs of customers .”
22 % of UK CEOs have no prior experience
Heidrick & Struggles UK has found that prior experience at executive level may not be as fundamental to landing the top executive job as it once was , with 22 % of CEO appointments in the UK having no prior C-suite experience . The Route to the Top 2022 report suggests that firms are increasingly willing to look beyond the C-suite when undertaking succession planning . Rather than targeting those in traditional executive officer roles ( CFO , COO , etc ), the report finds that candidates who offer deep operational experience are preferred .
The primary findings indicate a changing emphasis on the importance of prior experience in the highest executive positions . The upward trend is reflected across Europe , where an average of 27 % of CEOs had no prior C-suite experience , and the figure stands even higher , at 30 % in the US .
This report also shows a shift towards appointing CEOs internally . Globally , 64 % of appointments have been made internally , compared to 61 % in 2021 . Comparatively , over the last two years , the UK has scored above average when it comes to internal appointments . The report finds that 69 % of UK appointments were internal , above the global average for a second year and up from 68 % in 2021 , signalling a continued inclination towards internal succession planning and leadership readiness from within the organisation .
10 www . intelligentfin . tech