ING Group N.V.
Leadership History
4 leaders · 2004 to present
Steven van Rijswijk is the CEO of ING, in the role since 2020. The first chief executive was Michel Tilmant, from 2004.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven van Rijswijk | Chief Executive Officer | 2020 | Present | 6 |
| Ralph Hamers | CEO | 2013 | 2020 | 7 |
| Jan Hommen | CEO | 2009 | 2013 | 4 |
| Michel Tilmant | CEO | 2004 | 2009 | 5 |
ING is one of the Netherlands' largest banks and a major European lender, recognisable by its orange lion logo. It was once a global bancassurance group selling banking, insurance and asset management. After the 2008 crisis it was required by the European Commission to separate its insurance arms, and today it is a focused bank with Retail Banking and Wholesale Banking operations in more than 100 countries. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
ING runs two business lines on one shared digital platform. Retail Banking serves consumers and small businesses with current accounts, savings, mortgages, consumer loans, investment products and Business Banking; it is a full-service market leader in the Netherlands and Belgium and a branch-light challenger in Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia and other markets, with Poland, Romania and Türkiye as growth markets. Wholesale Banking provides corporate lending, Working Capital Solutions, trade finance, cash management and Financial Markets services to large companies and institutions. Cheap, stable retail deposits fund the lending book, and ING is growing fee income from investment products and private banking to depend less on interest rates.
Chief Executive Officer
2020 – Present
6 years (current)
Exited retail banking in France, the Czech Republic and the Philippines, pushed growth in mobile primary customers, and set the "accelerating growth" strategy targeting more fee income and Retail lending.
Under his leadership ING grew total income to ~$26 billion (€23.0 billion) in 2025 and raised its 2026-2027 return outlook after strong 2Q2026 results.
CEO
2013 – 2020
7 years
Launched the Think Forward strategy, introduced agile ways of working from 2015 and invested in a common digital platform across countries.
Completed the post-crisis restructuring and grew ING's digital customer base. His tenure was overshadowed by the 2018 AML settlement; he left to become CEO of UBS.
CEO
2009 – 2013
4 years
Executed the European Commission restructuring plan, including the sale of ING Direct USA and preparations to separate the insurance businesses.
Stabilised ING after the bailout and began repaying Dutch state aid.
CEO
2004 – 2009
5 years
Tilmant aggressively expanded ING Direct globally, heavily pushing the highly successful branchless banking model into major Western markets.
He resigned as CEO during the 2008 financial crisis as the bank required a massive €10 billion bailout from the Dutch government due to toxic US mortgage-backed securities.
ING has to keep income growing as European Central Bank rate cuts squeeze deposit margins, carry the cost of anti-money-laundering controls after its 2018 settlement, compete with neobanks such as Revolut and Trade Republic for younger savers and investors, and keep its CET1 ratio (13.1% in mid-2026) high enough to fund lending growth alongside dividends and buybacks.
Steven van Rijswijk was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Board of ING Group in July 2020. An alumnus of Erasmus University Rotterdam, van Rijswijk joined ING in 1995 and previously served as Chief Risk Officer, steering the bank to record post-pandemic profitability.
Under Steven van Rijswijk, ING exited retail banking in France, the Czech Republic and the Philippines, focused on mobile primary customer growth, expanded investment products and Business Banking, and raised its return outlook in 2026.
Ralph Hamers led ING through an aggressive digital transformation, investing billions in mobile banking platforms, modernizing the agile IT engineering culture, and driving digital customer growth before departing to become CEO of UBS in 2020.
Jan Hommen served as CEO from 2009 to 2013, steering ING through the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Hommen executed the European Commission-mandated restructuring plan, successfully spun off ING's global insurance assets (NN Group and Voya), and fully repaid the Dutch state's ~$11.3 billion (€10 billion) bailout with interest ahead of schedule.
Michel Tilmant was CEO from 2004 to early 2009, leading ING's pre-crisis expansion before stepping down after the bank needed Dutch state support.
Ewald Kist served as CEO from 2000 to 2004, driving large international expansion, scaling ING Direct across North America and Europe, and establishing ING as a Fortune Global 50 conglomerate.
ING is governed under the Dutch two-tier board system, featuring an Executive Board (led by CEO Steven van Rijswijk) and an independent Supervisory Board (chaired by Karl Guha), overseeing long-term strategy, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
The Executive Board is led by CEO Steven van Rijswijk with CFO Tanate Phutrakul and Chief Risk Officer Ljiljana Čortan.
Steven van Rijswijk serves as CEO. He took over in 2020 after the highly controversial departure of Ralph Hamers. Hamers successfully digitized the bank, but his tenure ended in a massive scandal when ING was hit with a staggering €775 million fine for failing to prevent massive money laundering through its Dutch accounts, severely damaging the bank's reputation.
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