ING appointed Hilde Garssen as chief human resources officer (CHRO) to its Management Board Banking (MBB), effective September 1, 2026. She succeeds Ruth McGill, who left ING in November 2025. Isaac Vitini has overseen the CHRO role on an ad interim basis since then. The appointment has been approved by the European Central Bank.

The addition of the CHRO to the MBB reflects the increasing importance of people and culture in ING's strategy aimed at becoming the best European bank by accelerating growth, increasing impact, and delivering value. This move is particularly relevant given the significant transformation of ING, ongoing technological developments, and growing customer expectations.

Hilde Garssen brings more than 25 years of experience across the banking and telecommunications sectors. She has held chief human resources officer roles at KPN and ABN AMRO. At KPN, she has served as chief people officer since 2018 and a member of the Board of Management since 2019. Prior to joining KPN, she spent 19 years at ABN AMRO in senior HR and transformation roles.

Steven van Rijswijk, CEO of ING, said: "I am pleased that Hilde will join ING. Her broad experience in people leadership, transformation and organisational development will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our culture and deliver on our strategy. Elevating the CHRO role to the Management Board reflects our conviction that people and culture are central to sustainable growth, strong performance and long-term value creation."

Hilde Garssen said: "I have always admired ING for being a digital bank where people and technology come together. These are two areas I'm passionate about and I look forward to joining and working with colleagues across the organisation to further develop the people strategy, culture and HR function for the future."

Key Appointments

ING reduced its stake in TMBThanachart Bank (TTB) from 23.1% to 19.5% through participation in TTB's most recent share buyback programme. The transaction generated gross proceeds of approximately €243 million for ING, based on current exchange rates. This reduction reflects ING's ongoing active capital management and disciplined approach to optimising its investment portfolio.

The transaction is not expected to have a material impact on ING's profit and loss account, shareholders' equity, or capital ratios. ING remains a significant shareholder in TTB and continues to value its longstanding partnership with the bank. The stake reduction was executed through TTB's share buyback mechanism, allowing ING to optimise its holdings while maintaining a strategic relationship.

Transaction Details

The following table outlines the key details of the stake reduction:

Background and Context

ING acquired its stake in TTB following its historical involvement in TMB Bank, which subsequently merged with Thanachart Bank to form TMBThanachart Bank. Through this involvement, ING has supported the development of TTB as one of Thailand's leading financial institutions. The decision to reduce the stake aligns with ING's strategy of disciplined capital management while preserving its strategic interests in the region.