Poupet, new head of BRD: We will maintain profitability until we can pick up the pace

Every company seeks to grow to become market leader, but for a bank this does not necessarily mean being no. 1 in terms of business volume, it means portfolio quality and profitability, and if the level of assets is added, satisfaction is complete, says Guy Poupet, the Frenchman who will take over at the helm of BRD-SocGen, the second-largest bank on the Romanian market, as of January 1st. Poupet, 57, yesterday was elected for a four-year term as general manager and chairman of the bank’s Board of Directors in the General Meeting of Shareholders, attended by 90.91% of the shareholders. Poupet says Romania and the BRD are not unknown to him because, having held executive positions in Société Générale’s international division, he had access to exchanges of information and to comparisons between the member banks’ progress. “I know the business model, the operating environment is somewhat tougher and requires the management’s attention, with my priority being to take the impact of the crisis into account. We will lay more emphasis on risk and non-performing loans, whilst maintaining profitability and keeping an eye on future developments so we can pick up the pace when circumstances allow it.”