§ Themes — Banking
Interim COO Banking.
Operational leadership for banks, savings banks and financial-services firms — from vacancy cover to transformation. Reliable, audit-ready, effective from day one.
When an interim COO in banking makes sense
Banks and savings banks are under growing pressure: regulation, consolidation, outsourcing strategies, IT migrations and skills shortages all hit established structures at the same time. In exactly these phases, an experienced interim COO can make the difference.
Typical triggers
- Vacancy cover — when operational leadership is suddenly absent or a position cannot be filled in time.
- Transformation — during migrations (e.g. Finanz Informatik outsourcing), efficiency programmes, restructuring of service or back-office areas.
- Regulation — DORA, MaRisk, BAIT — when projects are off-track and audit-ready delivery is required.
- Special situations — post-merger integration after mergers, carve-outs from group structures, build-up of new business lines.
- Conflict mediation — when change is blocked by internal resistance and external authority is needed.
What I deliver as interim COO
Operational leadership
Stabilising current operations, steering the line organisation, securing service levels for clients, supervisory authorities and internal stakeholders. Responsibility for KPIs, budget and people leadership.
Steering of external service providers
Coordination and management of outsourcing partners (e.g. Finanz Informatik, external IT and service providers), including contract management, SLA steering and escalation management to DORA standards.
Regulatory programmes
Leading the delivery of regulatory programmes, particularly DORA, IT security audits, outsourcing management and risk governance. Preparation and accompaniment of BaFin and association audits.
Change & conflict mediation
Change in regulated environments is rarely conflict-free. I take ownership of change processes, mediate between business areas, IT, specialist functions and external partners, and create pace while securing acceptance.
Building leadership teams
Where structures or people are missing, I build effective teams — recruiting, onboarding, coaching the successor. The aim is always handover to a permanent leadership in place.
Track record in financial services
Banking-related positions
- Current mandate — Sparkasse: interim head of IT, DORA delivery, steering of Finanz Informatik outsourcing, preparation for IT security audit, conflict mediation in migration context.
- CRIF Bürgel: Managing Director, data-driven transformation for financial-services firms, B2B2C business models.
- Barclays (UK / Germany): senior management — strategy & business transformation, Head of Fraud Operations, Head of Loan Operations, continuous improvement.
→ View six mandates with concrete results
How a collaboration works
1. Initial conversation (30 minutes, free)
Clarification of starting point, expected contribution and conditions. Confidential, non-committal.
2. Brief assessment & mandate definition
Within a few days: definition of scope, objectives, reporting structure, duration and commercials. Outcome: a clearly defined mandate, not a vague consulting contract.
3. Onboarding & first 100 days
Fast onboarding with stakeholders, taking on running topics, prioritisation. Within the first 100 days: first visible results, stabilisation of the leadership structure, roadmap for the mandate duration.
4. Handover
From day one, the work is geared towards handover. Documentation, coaching of the successor, clear cut-off — no “mandate creep”.
Related topics
Let’s discuss your situation
Free initial conversation, 30 minutes, in confidence. Whether collaboration is a good fit, we’ll know after the first call.
Email: ov@olivervossinterim.de · Phone: +49 173 286 27 38