CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo named Banker of Year

Carlo Messina, CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, has been named “European Banker of the Year 2024”, by the Group of 20+1, the international association of financial and business journalists.The recognition was announced last June.

The ceremony – which gathered more than 200 guests – took place in the Kaisersaal (Emperors’ Hall) of Frankfurt’s Römer (City Hall) , with speeches by Fabrizio Bucci, Italian Ambassador to Germany; Stephanie Wüst, Deputy Mayor and Head of the Department of Economy, Legal Affairs and City Marketing of Frankfurt; Sergio P. Ermotti, Group CEO of UBS Group AG and the previous European Banker of the Year 2023; Albrecht F. Schirmacher, Chairman of “The Group of 20+1” and Publisher at DER PLATOW Brief; and Andreas Scholz, President of the Euro Finance Group.

The award recognizes:

• consistently excellent results achieved since 2013;
• a more than threefold increase of Intesa Sanpaolo’s stock market value; 
• the Bank’s highest-ever net income in 2024;
• the Group’s strong commitment to supporting the green transition;
• and its significant role in social impact initiatives.

Carlo Messina, CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, said: “This recognition honours a model of banking that combines strength with purpose. At Intesa Sanpaolo, we believe profitability and social impact are complementary — and that turning savings into confidence, and confidence into growth, is the mission of a bank worthy of trust.” 

Sergio P. Ermotti, Group CEO of UBS Group AG, as the previous recipient of the award, introduced Carlo Messina, commenting: “Carlo has established himself as a leader of European banking – a man who is driven by passion, but makes decisions based on extensive knowledge and experience, and leads with vision.”

Albrecht F. Schirmacher, Chairman of “The Group 20+1” and Publisher of DER PLATOW Brief, commented during the assignment of the award: “Carlo Messina is one of the longest-serving CEOs in European banking. His achievements go well beyond financial results; it’s far more than banking. Intesa Sanpaolo has strongly embraced its social responsibilities.”

“The Group of 20+1” is a leading international association of financial and business journalists based in Frankfurt am Main, established by the dfv Euro Finance Group.

*Members of “The Group of 20+1” include”: Tim Bartz (DER SPIEGEL), Frank Bethmann (ZDF), Maja Brankovic (WirtschaftsWoche), Antje Erhard (ARD Hessischer Rundfunk), Viola Grebe (dfv Mediengruppe), Christiaan Hetzner (Financial Journalist), Christian Kirchner (Finanz-Szene.de), Markus Lachmann (FinanzBusiness), Michael Maisch (Handelsblatt), Klaus Dieter Oehler (Financial Journalist), Michael Rasch (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), Ulrich Reitz (n-tv Nachrichtenfernsehen), Albrecht F. Schirmacher (DER PLATOW Brief), Sebastian Schmid (Börsen-Zeitung), Meike Schreiber (Süddeutsche Zeitung), Katharina Slodczyk (manager magazin), Sarah Speicher-Utsch (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Olaf Storbeck (Financial Times), Annette Weisbach (CNBC International), Cornelius Welp (WELT / WELT am SONNTAG).