Isold Heemstra appointed as CCO of de Volksbank
Appointment in the run-up to the new role of Chief Operating Officer - Gwendolyn van Tunen added to the Executive Board
Upon nomination of the Supervisory Board, shareholder NLFI appoints Isold Heemstra and Gwendolyn van Tunen as members of the Executive Board of de Volksbank with effect from 1 March 2025. Isold Heemstra will take on the role of Chief Customer Officer (CCO) and Gwendolyn van Tunen, in her role of Chief Financial Crime Officer (CFCO), was already a member of the Executive Committee. The Works Council has rendered advice and supports the appointments. Both appointments have been approved by the supervisory authorities.
The appointment of Isold as CCO is a first step towards creating the position of COO with effect from 1 July 2025. Upon approval of the supervisory authorities, de Volksbank intends to appoint Isold as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) within the context of the transformation to a simpler organisational structure. With his extensive experience in managing complex transformations, Isold has the knowledge and experience to implement de Volksbank’s strategic agenda.
In June 2024, de Volksbank announced its intention to change the role of CCO on the Executive Committee. The CCO’s current range of duties includes both a commercial and an operational component. In line with the transformation to a simpler organisation, the new role of COO will focus more on the bank’s operational duties. The COO will be responsible for the mortgage organisation, day-to-day banking operations and customer service, sustainability (ESG), IT, programme and project management.
Isold Heemstra is an executive with extensive experience in the field of banking, insurance, operations and digitalisation. During his career, he managed several complex, digital transformations in the banking and insurance sector, combining a technical background with international management experience. He held the position of CEO of ING in France and CEO of ING in the Czech Republic.
Gerard van Olphen, Chair of the Supervisory Board of de Volksbank: “The Supervisory Board is pleased with the appointment of Isold Heemstra. He has proven strong organisational skills and a good understanding of operational processes in a commercial banking environment. In times of change, Isold has the ability to manage teams in an effective and results-oriented manner. All this makes him the ideal person to hold this position and to put de Volksbank’s transformation on the right track together with his fellow Board members.”
Isold Heemstra: “De Volksbank is facing a big challenge in the coming years. In a relatively short period, the bank is undergoing a major transformation that will have an impact on the organisation and on the IT and data infrastructure. I have been getting my teeth into such change processes my whole working life. Completing complex challenges as a team gives me energy. And, personally, after having worked abroad for 18 years, I am happy to come and live in the Netherlands again with my family.”
CFCO in the Executive Board
In addition to the appointment of Isold, the position of Chief Financial Crime Officer has been added to the Executive Board. Gwendolyn van Tunen had been holding this position on the Executive Committee since June 2024. De Volksbank has made protecting the role of gatekeeper a priority, and adding a CFCO to the Executive Board dovetails neatly with this.
Composition of the Executive Board
With effect from 1 March 2025, the composition of the Executive Board is as follows:
- Roland Boekhout, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- André Haag, Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
- Saskia Hoskens, Chief Risk Officer (CRO)
- Isold Heemstra, Chief Customer Officer (CCO)
- Gwendolyn van Tunen, Chief Financial Crime Officer (CFCO)
