Rainer Neske
Rainer Neske, born 7 October 1964 in Münster, is a German banker and business executive. He has been the CEO and chair of the Board of Managing Directors of Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) since 2016.
He studied computer science and business administration at the University of Karlsruhe, finishing in 1990. Neske joined Deutsche Bank that year and held various management roles in retail banking and business clients. He became a member of Deutsche Bank’s Management Board in 2009, overseeing Private & Business Clients. In 2015 he stepped down from the board after disagreements over the bank’s strategic direction, including plans affecting retail banking.
In February 2016, reports said he would move to LBBW as CEO-designate to succeed Hans-Jörg Vetter. He joined LBBW’s managing board in July 2016, and became CEO on 1 November 2016. His early years at LBBW focused on strategy, repositioning, international growth, and fintech and capital markets themes.
In 2020, regional press reported a contract extension to 2026 as part of continued internal transformation and digitisation. A 2019 interview described Neske as head of Germany’s largest Landesbank and noted his 2016 move from Deutsche Bank to LBBW in Stuttgart.
In July 2025, several outlets reported a five-year extension of his contract to 30 June 2031, which LBBW confirmed.
Neske holds several external roles: he is on the board of the Association of German Public Banks (VÖB); on the advisory board of Deutsche Vermögensberatung (DVAG); serves on the Board of Trustees of the Fritz Thyssen Foundation (and is deputy chair); chairs the Board of Trustees of the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management; sits on the supervisory board of Save the Children Germany; and chairs the Board of Trustees of the Friends of the Alte Oper Frankfurt.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:45 (CET).