Kozma, 38, began his professional career with credit insurer Euler Hermes Magyar Hitelbiztosító. After a three-year stint at HypoVereinsbank, lastly as deputy director of the corporate client division, he continued his career as managing director and member of the board at Euler Hermes in 2001. Since the start of May he has been at Commerzbank Zrt., where he will take up the post of president following the next general meeting. He sees no need for major changes at his new employer. “I am taking on the bank in an excellent state, in terms of both profitability and structure,” he said, so he has no concerns about focusing on continuity.
Branching out
The branch establishment programme launched in 2005 under the name Innobanking will be continued. Four further branches should be added to the existing six by the end of this year. “Then we will have the branch network that we envisaged in the medium-term. Perhaps later we will add one or two branches, but out branch network is not intended to become significantly bigger. Our aim is not to be present in every larger town, but to have Hungary geographically covered with a widely meshed network.” Behind all this is the bank’s intention to expand its sphere of customers in among medium-sized companies, and to become the “German bank for the Hungarian middle market.” Kozma is targeting a roughly 5% market share in this sector. Currently the bank’s market share lies at just over 2%.
Different customer profile
“The basis for this growth is that medium-sized companies with special financing wishes and higher service demands will become aware of Commerzbank. As soon as the owner of medium-sized company is looking around for more than just the usual standardised solutions, then they are interesting to us as a new customer. At our bank customers will find consultants who can develop an individual solution, rather than computers with solutions off the conveyor belt.” Since this profile is still not so familiar to most medium-sized companies in Hungary, Kozma views the task of popularising his bank’s special services as an important one. “The problem is that we are selling something which isn’t as easy to grasp as general banking conditions. Customers can only really experience the plus we offer in terms of services, when they have already made use of them,” said Kozma.
“The German nature of the bank will not change under the completely Hungarian management,” he said.
