Dušan Jovanovič, Chairman of OTP banka's Supervisory Board, said initially that following the resignation of Andrej Plos, the Supervisory Board started the procedures to appoint the new Management Board. Potential candidates were invited for discussion, based on which the Supervisory Board unanimously agreed to appoint Aleš Hauc as the new President. »He will assume the office of the President of OTP banka's Management Board for a five-year period after being granted a licence by the Bank of Slovenia. He convinced us mainly with his concrete solutions on how to improve the performance of the Bank.«
»I cannot speak about the potential candidates for Management Board members until I have received the licence by the Bank of Slovenia«, said Aleš Hauc upon his introduction. He believes that both OTP banka and the Group are well-respected, stable and safe financial institutions. »The Bank has gained international reputation, for which I believe will be further enhanced in the future. We will, however, need to redefine the activities of the Bank and the Group – that is, revise which activities generate a profit and which do not«, also said Mr. Hauc about his views on the future activities of the Bank, adding that »non-performing activities will be eliminated from both the Bank and the Group. We will implement a tighter organisational structure and perhaps even reduce the number of stuff in order to consolidate the Bank and the Group. Further, we may merge some subsidiaries and will strengthen the operations of strong members within the OTP banka Group«. »By so doing, we expect to achieve better operating results and an improved competitive position. Knowing how to do things is today not enough, the important thing is what to do: we will finance promising economic projects that will also bring new jobs«, further explained Mr. Hauc. According to his opinion, the Bank does not need additional capital for the time being. He added that the Bank will need to set up a special organisational unit in charge of actively monitoring the customers during their contractual relationship with the Bank. Representatives of this unit will also participate in all important decisions reached by customers. A majority of banks with deteriorated loan portfolios was not prepared for the crisis and for the customers not being able to repay their debts.
He is also considering setting up an organisational unit capable of consolidating the development and technology of new services, since, in his view, there is room for improvement in this area. »Without an active customer relationship service, we cannot reduce credit risk« is convinced Mr. Hauc. Future credit policy will be focused on market niches, which OTP banka is able to detect. High value added production and development of new technologies are two of the most important areas in this regard. »The times when corporations were coming to the Bank to make business are over. Today, the Bank must sell actively its services«, concluded Mr. Hauc. He also pointed out that the relations with investors and shareholders will intensify in the future. He believes that the new team will be capable of enhancing the reputation of the Bank, which, as a serious institution, must inspire trust, which, among other things, contributes to the performance of Bank shares.
