ING bank has new CEO in Belgium

Erik Van Den Eynden (pictured) has been appointed the new CEO of ING Belgium, the bank has announced. Van Den Eynden succeeds Rik Vandenberghe, who stepped down unexpectedly in January.

Van Den Eynden, 49, started with ING in 1990, when it was called Bank Brussel Lambert, as a management trainee, have obtained a degree in economics from Antwerp University. Since then, he has worked in a wide variety of positions, including in the Netherlands, where he was responsible for sales, marketing and communication for eight years at the ING subsidiary Nationale Nederlanden insurance company.

He returned to Belgium in 2012, responsible for MidCorporates and Institutionals at the bank, which is the market leader in that sector. He comes to the CEO position facing the task of closing half of Belgium’s ING branches, with the loss of some 900 jobs.