Generational change initiated: How the Bank im Bistum Essen filled a leadership position with foresight together with CTG Consulting
Bank im Bistum Essen eG
BIB – BANK IM BISTUM ESSEN eG is a cooperative specialist bank committed to ethical values and regarded as a pioneer of FAIR BANKING. With total assets of approximately €6.7 billion, around 18,000 customers and 214 employees, BIB has established itself as a reliable partner for values-based banking. Anyone who wishes to invest their money in line with their values can become a customer. The bank's members include, alongside private customers, institutions from the healthcare and social sectors, foundations and companies from the housing and renewable energy sectors.
In addition, BIB is active in development financing: since 2007, the bank has been working in the field of microfinance and financial inclusion. Every year, approximately 125,000 people from around 30 countries receive microloans from the funds of the BIB microfinance funds. These loans not only enable borrowers to take part in economic life, but also strengthen their families. www.bib-fairbanking.de
Social cohesion is particularly important to the cooperative specialist bank with Christian roots. It is therefore especially committed to financing solutions for social infrastructure projects and microfinance. To ensure that profit also serves people and the community, the bank does not pay performance-based consultant commissions.
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Securing a key position before the gap opens: CTG Consulting supports the Bank im Bistum Essen in the forward-looking replacement of a leadership role
Numerous companies are currently facing the retirement of key leadership positions. The Bank im Bistum Essen eG was one of them. Specifically, the position of "Gruppenleitung Zentrale Dienste" (Head of Central Services) needed to be filled. Unlike an acute vacancy, the timing here was predictable: the incumbent was available until moving into phased retirement, allowing for an orderly transition and a proper handover. This made a precise, high-quality appointment all the more important. It was not about closing a gap quickly, but about winning the right leadership personality for a central function and developing it further together with the outgoing leader.
The challenge lay less in time pressure and more in cultural fit. The bank had already been advertising the position for six weeks. However, neither the quantity nor the quality of the incoming applications was satisfactory. The right profiles simply could not be reached through the classic advertising route.
Owing to a very good working relationship to date and a bond of trust grown over several projects, the bank commissioned CTG Consulting – in cooperation with Numeris Consulting – with the executive search. What was expected was an advisory sparring partner who would sharpen the requirements profile and position the vacancy correctly in the market.
Objective of the mandate
The goal of the collaboration was clear: to fill the key position of 'Head of Central Services' precisely and within an orderly transition period. And with a leader who is professionally convincing and fits into the cultural environment of a cooperative specialist bank.
The real hurdle lay in reach and positioning: the right profiles could not be reached through an open advertisement and had to be actively identified and approached in the market. CTG Consulting was engaged as a partner precisely for this purpose.
Specifically, the Bank im Bistum Essen was looking for candidates with the following profile:
- Professional suitability: full fulfilment of the requirements for leading Central Services.
- Leadership strength: a convincing leadership personality with responsibility for an established team.
- Cultural Fit: alignment with the bank's values-driven, cooperative culture – of particular importance for a bank specialising in church-related business.
Key learnings from the collaboration
The central challenge was that, after six weeks, the classic job advertisement route had failed to deliver the desired profiles in terms of either quantity or quality. CTG Consulting therefore combined strategic consulting with consistent direct outreach – and steered the search to success within a short time.
Before the first candidates were approached, CTG provided the bank with comprehensive advice on the current labour market and the profile being sought. This advisory step was the foundation that enabled the subsequent search to succeed at all. Rather than continuing to wait for incoming applications, CTG then combed through its own network and contacted passive candidates in a targeted manner – precisely those profiles that could not be reached via the open advertisement. Crucial to success was the deep understanding of the role and the specific requirements of the Bank im Bistum Essen: CTG handled the tailored communication between candidates and client, thereby ensuring that professional, personal and cultural fit were in harmony from the very beginning. The result: three selected candidates, one of whom was a perfect match for the role.
- Consulting before search
Market-appropriate positioning of the position - Direct outreach instead of job advertisements
Targeted approach to passive talent - Deep understanding of the role
Tailored matching & cultural fit
Search process in numbers and outcome
Head of Central Services (project duration: 8 weeks)
3 weeks search process
3 candidates presented
1 successful hire (from the initial pool of three)
Voices from the partnership
We greatly value our collaboration with CTG and Numeris Consulting, as it gives us a reliable partner at our side who competently supports and advises us on critical and difficult appointments. Always a pleasure!
Successful project completion
- Foresighted succession planning for a key position
- Curated shortlist with three candidates just three weeks after the briefing
- Successful filling of the Group Leadership Central Services position within 8 weeks
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