Harris Antoniou is stepping aside as chief executive officer of Amsterdam Trade Bank after four years at the helm, the company announced today in a release on its Linkedin page.
The veteran lender said he is pursuing "new challenges" but will stay in place through February 2020 as the bank launches a search for his successor.
The lender, a subsidiary of Russia's Alfa Bank, said Antoniou had repositioned the bank during his tenure with a strong focus on trade, commodity finance and associated assets, with a view toward the Netherlands as a global trading hub.
“Having served my term as CEO for the past four years and having completed a number of important projects to reposition the bank, now is the right time to hand the reins to a new leader in order to focus on projects close to my heart, linked to technology and sustainability and the next stage of development of the global economy,” said Antoniou.
“My time with ATB has been a tremendously rewarding journey. I have been fortunate to work with remarkable people to solve some important challenges. I would like to thank the board, shareholders, and all of my colleagues at ATB for their support throughout my term. I appreciate the strong relationships we have developed.”
ATB's supervisory board in turn issued a supportive statement.
“The supervisory board is very grateful to Harris and his team for what has been a significant achievement. The bank is well on track with its growth plans and its strategic initiatives. We look forward to continuing our good cooperation in the period ahead,” said Ron Emerson, chairman of the Supervisory Board.
ATB says it was among the first signatories to the Poseidon Princples, a pact among the world's leading ship lenders that seeks to align lending with owners who commit to reduce carbon emissions in their secondhand purchases or newbuildings.
Prior to joining ATB in February 2016, Antoniou was a senior banker for a combined 20 years at Fortis and ABN AMRO. He also spent more than two years as CEO of the Switzerland-based commodities player AMCI Group.
