A cooperative bank is characterized, among other things, by its strong regional roots and local presence through branches. However, mergers mean that the boundaries of the traditional region are crossed and new business areas are created. For employees, this means change at all levels. How can the link to the region be maintained in the event of a merger? How do you maintain the trust of customers, which is often strongly tied to individuals? How do you integrate regionally rooted corporate cultures?
Martin Wolfslast talks about these questions with Stephan Dreyer, Partner at zeb and Segment Manager for cooperative banks in Germany. In his professional career, Stephan has accompanied about 50 mergers between cooperative banks during his time with zeb consulting.