STAVANGER: Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer has been appointed the new group chief executive of SpareBank 1 SR-Bank.

She succeeds Arne Austreid, who will step down from his post as scheduled at the end of the current year. Schilbred Fasmer is looking forward to leading one of the largest and foremost Norwegian financial groups.

The board of SpareBank 1 SR-Bank took a broad, unrushed and thorough approach to finding the right candidate to succeed Arne Austreid in the post of group chief executive.

“The board spent a lot of time finding the right candidate who can develop SpareBank 1 SR-Bank further for the benefit of the group’s customers, owners and employees. Given our good relationships with our almost 300,000 customers and our local communities, we enjoy a high level of trust. This is an asset that will also mean a lot for the group’s continued development going forward,” says Dag Mejdell, chair of the board of SpareBank 1 SR-Bank.

Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer has 25 years of management experience from the financial services, industry and shipping. She currently heads up corporate market in Fremtind Forsikring. Prior to this she gained solid banking experience from DNB during 6 years of holding various management positions, the last 4 years of which she served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Market.

Benedicte also has broad management experience from places such as Citibank, Sparebanken Vest and Argentum Fondsinvesteringer. Benedicte is very familiar with the business community in Southern Norway, both through her many years in the financial services industry and through serving on a number of boards, including in Norges Bank and Oslo Børs. Benedicte has an MBA from the Norwegian School of Economics and comes from Bergen.

“I’m very pleased to have been given this opportunity. I have a great deal of respect for the work the group’s employees put into creating good customer experiences. The competition for customers is fierce and it is impressive to note that SpareBank 1 SR-Bank is one of the winners. Despite periods of falling oil prices and lower activity in some of its market areas, the group has delivered good results year after year under Arne Austreid’s leadership. This provides a good basis for further developing and strengthening the group’s many business areas in the coming years as well,” says Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer.

SpareBank 1 SR-Bank has taken a clear position in Southern Norway with 38 branches in Vestland, Rogaland, Agder and Oslo, combined with modern, customer -friendly and leading digital solutions. With its head office in Stavanger, the group consists of around 1,300 employees with broad expertise and detailed local knowledge who cover a region stretching from Oslo in the east to Bergen in the west.

Besides substantial banking operations with a wide range of products and services, for both personal and corporate customers, the group offers estate agency services, currency trading,  accounting services, corporate services and various consulting services.

“The board believes that Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer is the right candidate to produce good results going forward as well, through trust, cooperation and dialogue with customers, employees and employee representatives. Thanks to our corporate culture, we have a long tradition of this in SpareBank 1 SR-Bank. We have a more than 180-year long history to continue. During these many years we have built up solid expertise and experience. Given this and Schilbred Fasmer’s broad experience, SpareBank 1 SR-Bank will be well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future,” says Dag Mejdell, chair of the board.