Eckard Forst

About Eckard Forst

Eckard Forst is a well-known executive in European public banking and structured finance. German, born on November 21, 1959, he built his profile through both legal and banking training: a banking diploma at Deutsche Bank AG, followed by first and second state law examinations at the University of Bonn and the University of Lausanne. That combination of legal rigor and financial expertise shaped a career focused on corporate banking, investment banking, and governance in institutions with a strong public-policy mission. He began his career at Deutsche Bank AG, where he held various positions from 1990 to 1999. He then served as Managing Director of Deutsche Bank AG in Paris from 2000 to 2003, heading Corporate and Investment Banking, and as Chief Executive Officer of Banque Worms, then part of the Deutsche Bank Group, from 2001 to 2003. He later continued his rise in Bielefeld as Managing Director of Deutsche Bank AG from 2003 to 2006, again in corporate and investment banking. From 2007 to 2016, he was a member of the Management Committee of NORD/LB, before becoming Chairman of the Executive Board of NRW.BANK in November 2016. NRW.BANK is one of Germany’s leading development banks, which placed him at the center of public-sector finance and long-term economic support. At Sfil, Eckard Forst served as a Director and chaired the Risk and Internal Control Committee while also sitting on the Financial Statements Committee. His mandate is listed through May 30, 2024, and it reflects his strong governance credentials in areas that matter most for a public development bank: risk appetite, internal control, supervision, and resilience of the control framework. Sfil states that this committee validates the Risk Appetite Statement and oversees the bank’s strategies and policies for taking, monitoring, and controlling risks. His career highlights deep expertise in corporate lending, capital markets, risk governance, and stakeholder management across Germany and France. Beyond his executive roles, he has also held institutional responsibilities, including chairmanship of the VÖB, the German association of public banks, and served as Honorary Consul of France in Münster, underscoring a profile that blends banking leadership, international exposure, and public-sector credibility.