Bettina

Bettina, how did you get started and what career path did you take?

I joined a small bank in Albania as a trainee in 2000. When this bank later became part of the ProCredit group, I quickly realised that the idea behind ProCredit would become an integral part of my life. After my traineeship, I was sent to support the newly established team in Kosovo. Together, we set up the first bank in the country.
After a hiatus due to an accident, I ended up at the head office in Frankfurt in 2004. When the opportunity came about to help set up the bank in Germany, I couldn’t resist. We conceptualised the private client business as a direct bank and I was then responsible for customer services for several years.

Why did you decide to work at ProCredit Bank?

After my studies and post-graduate training at DIE (now IDOS), I really wanted to work abroad and do something hands-on. Building a bank seemed like just the right thing to do.

What has been the most exciting thing you have experienced at ProCredit Bank so far?

Building a bank from scratch and the change to the euro in Kosovo in January 2002, even though there was no central bank.

Are there any approaches and behaviours at ProCredit Bank that you would definitely take with you if you moved to another company?

We always work with one another, and never against one another, even when we reach our limits.

You’re going on a trip around the world for three months tomorrow. You are looking for your replacement. What professional and personal skills does this person need to have?

It should be someone that you would enjoy spending the morning with during the hand-over.

What surprised you about ProCredit Bank?

The resilience. In the ProCredit world, we have overcome so many different crises, political upheavals, inflation, natural disasters and more recently even wars, and we have reinvented ourselves time and time again.

If I were to ask three of your colleagues what they value most about you, what would they say?

Hmm, maybe that I’m a good listener?