Deutsche Bank shapes Management Board for next phase of growth strategy

• Raja Akram will join Deutsche Bank and succeed James von Moltke as CFO after a transition period
• Christian Sewing to lead next phase of strategy and will see his contract renewed until 2029
• Fabrizio Campelli to assume responsibility for the Americas from Stefan Simon, and have his contract extended until 2028

Deutsche Bank today announced changes to its management structure for the next phase of the bank’s growth strategy.

After eight years as Chief Financial Officer in which he helped lead the bank through a fundamental transformation, James von Moltke has informed the bank that he will not be seeking another term when his contract expires in June 2026. Von Moltke, who was also appointed President in 2022, will continue to drive the bank’s delivery of its 2025 financial targets before handing over his CFO responsibilities.

As designated Chief Financial Officer, Raja Akram will join the bank on October 1, 2025, become a member of the Management Board effective January 1, 2026, and assume the CFO role after a transition period. Akram joins from Morgan Stanley where he has been Deputy Chief Financial Officer since 2020. From 2006 to 2020, he worked for Citigroup, holding leadership positions in Finance across multiple regions and businesses and also served as the Chief Accounting Officer and Global Controller. Akram will be based in Frankfurt.

“James von Moltke has been instrumental in Deutsche Bank’s successful turnaround, which significantly improved the bank’s business performance, profitability, distributions to shareholders and credit ratings. The bank has also materially enhanced stakeholder perceptions and laid the foundations for further growth. We are grateful for James’s significant contributions to the bank”, said Alexander Wynaendts, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. “As the bank completes its current strategy cycle this year, it is a natural point in time to hand over the CFO responsibilities to Raja Akram. Raja is strongly positioned to lead Deutsche Bank’s Finance function, building on his comprehensive global experience and impressive track record.”

Christian Sewing, Chief Executive Officer, added: “I am very much looking forward to working with Raja Akram, who enjoys an excellent reputation as one of the most capable finance managers in the industry and whose leadership qualities I greatly value. We will very much benefit from his experience in senior positions at two leading global banks. At the same time, I would like to thank James sincerely for our excellent partnership and for his commitment to continue supporting our 2025 delivery throughout the transition period. Transforming Deutsche Bank the way we did would not have been possible without James.”

Raja Akram said: “I’m honoured to join Deutsche Bank, which is Europe’s leading bank with global reach. I have been impressed with the bank’s transformation in recent years and the immense growth potential and greatly look forward to working with Christian and the rest of the Management Board to further drive the next phase in the bank’s success.”

The Supervisory Board also decided on a new mandate for Christian Sewing running until April 2029, representing an extension of three years compared to his current contract. Fabrizio Campelli, Head of the Corporate Bank and Investment Bank, will also have his contract extended by three years, running until October 2028.

“With these contract extensions we ensure continuity in key management roles,” said Wynaendts. “Christian successfully drove Deutsche Bank’s turnaround since 2018, substantially increasing profitability and shareholder returns. Significant value has been created for Deutsche Bank’s stakeholders. The Supervisory Board is convinced that Christian is the right person to lead the bank through the next stage of its evolution.”

Wynaendts added: “The Supervisory Board is also pleased to extend the contract of Fabrizio Campelli, who has successfully led the Corporate Bank and the Investment Bank over the past years.”

In addition, the Supervisory Board also asked Campelli to assume the regional responsibility for the Americas, effective May 1, 2025. He is taking over from Stefan Simon who will leave the bank for personal reasons. A new permanent CEO for the Americas, reporting to Campelli, will be appointed in due course. In the interim, Paul Maley, Head of Corporate Bank Americas, will assume responsibility as CEO Americas, subject to regulatory approvals.

“The Americas region is an important growth driver for Deutsche Bank. By fully aligning regional leadership and responsibility for our largest businesses on the ground, we create a simpler and more effective structure,” said Wynaendts. “We thank Stefan Simon for his many contributions as he helped navigate the bank through various regulatory and legal challenges, contributed to the improvement of our relationships with our regulators as well as our control environment and supported our growth strategy in the Americas. We wish him all the best for his future.”

Stefan Simon previously served on the bank’s Supervisory Board and has been a member of the bank’s Management Board since 2020 – most recently as CEO of the Americas and Chief Legal Officer with additional responsibility for Group Governance. His responsibility for Legal & Group Governance will move to Christian Sewing’s portfolio.