Baudouin Prot was CEO and then Chairman of BNP Paribas from 2003-14. During his tenure, he profoundly transformed the bank, which was historically French-centred, into a truly European powerhouse. This was mainly achieved through two transforming acquisitions: BNL in Italy and Fortis in Belgium and Luxembourg and steering the bank... Read more
Baudouin Prot was CEO and then Chairman of BNP Paribas from 2003-14. During his tenure, he profoundly transformed the bank, which was historically French-centred, into a truly European powerhouse. This was mainly achieved through two transforming acquisitions: BNL in Italy and Fortis in Belgium and Luxembourg and steering the bank through the financial crisis.
He also has extensive experience in crisis management. Having steered the bank through all of the key events of the financial crisis, Prot has extensive experience and track record in both strategic development and transforming acquisitions. When BNP entered into the financial crisis in 2007, it hadn’t had any exposure to the US subprime market, which illustrated its strong risk culture. He had to manage the relationship and the communication with the different stake holders of the bank: clients, staff, investors and also regulators all over the world. He was the only bank CEO in Europe to launch a very large acquisition right in the midst of the financial crisis.
At BNP, Prot was always very proactive in promoting the most advanced technologies. They were the first bank in Europe to heavily invest in technology, call centres, training and deployment from 1997 to 2000 to create a fully real time inter-connected multi- channel platform to serve customers. To this day, BNP Paribas is considered in Europe and beyond as an industry reference.
Named ‘Best European Banking CEO’ in 2010 by the Institutional Investor Magazine, Prot is a member of the Board of the Institute for International Finance in Washington, the Shanghai International Business Leaders Advisory Council and the Singapore MAS International Advisory Panel. His other awards include ‘Financier of the Year’ in 2006 after the successful integration of BNL and again in 2009 for successfully steering BNP Paribas through the financial crisis.