Stefaan Decraene has served as Chair of Rabobank’s Managing Board since January 2023, becoming the first non-Dutch person to lead the bank. In this role, he heads an international cooperative bank with around 48,000 employees across 34 countries.
Decraene began his career in 1988 at Bacob Bank, a Belgian cooperative bank that later became Artesia. He worked in investment banking and securities before becoming Chair of Artesia Securities and subsequently Chair of Bank Artesia Nederland. He then held several senior positions at Dexia. In 2006, he became Chair of Dexia Bank Belgium.
He also took on group-level responsibility for retail and commercial banking in Belgium, Turkey, Slovakia and Luxembourg. In 2011, Decraene joined BNP Paribas. Based in Paris, he spent the next 11 years on the Group’s Executive Committee, where he was responsible for its international retail banking activities.
Since taking the helm at Rabobank, Decraene has overseen an internal reorganisation and a period of strong financial performance. In 2024, Rabobank reported a record net profit of €5.2 billion and close to €5 billion again in 2025. In 2026, the bank announced plans to invest up to €2 billion in data, technology and artificial intelligence over the next three years.
Decraene studied political, social and economic sciences at the University of Brussels and later earned a master’s degree in economics from KU Leuven. He is 61 years old and is married to Catherine. They have two sons, and he is also a grandfather. During the week, he lives in Amsterdam. At weekends, he returns home to Bruges, Belgium.
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Eerdere gasten bij de Leaders in Finance Podcast waren onder andere: Klaas Knot (President DNB), Frank Elderson (Directie ECB), Roland Boekhout (CEO ASN Bank), Gerrit Zalm (voormalig minister van Financiën en voormalig CEO ABN AMRO), Ingrid de Swart (lid Raad van Bestuur a.s.r.), Pinar Abay (Management Board ING, Head of Retail Banking), Robert Swaak (CEO ABN AMRO), Marcel Zuidam (CEO NN Bank), Saul van Beurden (CEO Consumer, Small & Business Banking, Wells Fargo), David Knibbe (CEO NN Group), Janine Vos (RvB Rabobank), Nadine Klokke (CEO Knab), Maarten Edixhoven (CEO Van Lanschot Kempen), Jeroen Rijpkema (CEO Triodos Bank), Nout Wellink (voormalig President DNB), Onno Ruding (voormalig minister van Financiën), Yoram Schwarz (CEO Movir), Laura van Geest (Bestuursvoorzitter AFM), Katja Kok (CEO Van Lanschot CH), Ali Niknam (CEO bunq), Nick Bortot (CEO BUX), Petri Hofsté (Commissaris o.a. Rabobank en Achmea), Peter Paul de Vries (CEO Value8), Barbara Baarsma (CEO Rabo Carbon Bank), Jan van Rutte (Commissaris PGGM en BNG Bank; voormalig CFO ABN AMRO), Marguerite Soeteman-Reijne (Chair Aon Holdings), Lidwin van Velden (CEO Nederlandse Waterschapsbank), Jan-Willem van der Schoot (CEO Mastercard NL), Joanne Kellermann (Chair PFZW), Steven Maijoor (voormalig Chair ESMA), Radboud Vlaar (CEO Finch Capital), Jos Baeten (CEO a.s.r.), Karin van Baardwijk (CEO Robeco) en Annette Mosman (CEO APG).
