ING’s Finance and Risk CIO Beate Zwijnenberg Departs: Leadership Shake-Up at the Dutch Banking Giant

Introduction

ING Groep N.V., the Amsterdam-based global banking and financial services institution, announced that Beate Zwijnenberg has stepped down from her role as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for finance and risk, bringing an end to a long tenure at the Dutch lender that began in 1998. The move represents a notable leadership change within ING’s technology and risk management ranks — a key area for banks amid digital transformation and regulatory challenges.

Zwijnenberg’s departure comes at a time when financial institutions worldwide are reassessing IT, risk frameworks, and digital investments to respond to evolving customer expectations, cybersecurity demands, and shifting competitive dynamics. ING, with a strong European franchise and growing digital footprint, is no exception.

Beate Zwijnenberg: Longstanding Career and Role at ING

Beate Zwijnenberg’s career at ING spanned nearly three decades, beginning in 1998. Over that time, she held a variety of strategic roles across the bank’s operations, including product management, and later focusing on sales and insurance for Nationale-Nederlanden, ING’s former insurance subsidiary, which was divested in 2016.

In 2009, Zwijnenberg joined ING Bank Netherlands, where she established herself as a leader in technology and risk functions. For six years she served as Global Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) — a role that positioned her at the centre of the bank’s efforts to protect critical systems and customer data, especially as cyber threats became more sophisticated.

In August 2025, she was appointed CIO for finance and risk, a key leadership position overseeing IT strategy and risk technology for ING’s finance organisation. Her responsibilities included ensuring that systems, data platforms and digital infrastructure in these areas supported regulatory compliance, reporting, and enterprise risk functions.

Departure and Transitional Leadership

Zwijnenberg stepped down from her CIO role on 1 December 2025, according to her own announcement on LinkedIn, where she expressed gratitude for her time at ING and highlighted “pride, gratitude, and great memories” from across her career.

Following her departure, Peter Penning, who previously served as ING’s IT lead for finance and risk, has been named Interim CIO for Finance and Risk — a transitional arrangement while ING begins its executive search for a permanent successor.

An ING spokesperson confirmed that the bank will announce a new tech leadership appointment for the Netherlands Board “in due course,” underlining the strategic importance the lender places on continuity and operational resilience.

Strategic Context: Technology and Risk at ING

While Zwijnenberg’s exit is a personnel change, it also highlights broader ongoing initiatives at ING around digital transformation, risk management, and enterprise technology modernisation:

• ING continues to invest in digital banking platforms and AI-enhanced customer services to stay competitive with fintech challengers and digital-first rivals across Europe.
• The bank has also been strengthening its focus on fee-based services, transaction banking, and capital markets platforms, especially in Asia and global wholesale operations — areas that require robust IT and risk systems to scale effectively.
• Amid these shifts, the role of a CIO with oversight of finance and risk systems is pivotal to bringing technology and compliance into alignment with strategic goals, regulatory expectations, and market pressures tied to cybersecurity and digital delivery.

For ING, continuing to modernise legacy systems, integrate cloud-native architecture, and enhance real-time risk analytics remains a priority, with enterprise IT leadership playing a central role in shaping how these transformations unfold.

Industry Implications

Executive turnover in CIO and risk leadership positions is particularly noteworthy in banking because it can signal shifts in:

• Technology priorities, such as greater emphasis on data platforms, AI risk models, and automation.
• Risk governance approaches, especially as banks face regulatory scrutiny around systemic risk, operational resilience, and cyber threats.
• Digital transformation execution, including the implementation of agile delivery models and cloud migration strategies.

Zwijnenberg’s exit may create a window for ING to recalibrate its finance and risk technology strategy as global banks increasingly look to artificial intelligence, real-time reporting and advanced analytics to drive competitive advantage and regulatory compliance.

Looking Ahead: What Comes Next

With Peter Penning serving as interim CIO, ING is expected to take a deliberate approach to appointing a permanent successor — likely someone with deep experience in both technology strategy and financial services risk frameworks. This would align with broader trends where banks prioritise leaders who understand not just IT delivery, but also enterprise risk modelling, regulatory reporting technologies and digital resilience.

Such an appointment can shape ING’s future capabilities in:

• RegTech and compliance infrastructure
• AI-enabled risk forecasting
• Finance automation and digital reporting
• Cybersecurity frameworks and data governance

These areas are increasingly critical as banks compete in a digital-first environment while managing an expanding risk surface in markets that include rising interest rate volatility, geopolitical complexities, and evolving regulatory standards.

Conclusion

Beate Zwijnenberg’s departure as CIO for Finance and Risk at ING marks the end of a long and influential tenure covering key technology and security functions. Her career progression reflected both personal leadership and the broader evolution of IT leadership in banking — from traditional systems to modern digital, security and risk platforms.

The appointment of an interim CIO and the upcoming search for a permanent successor will be watched closely by industry observers, as ING continues to navigate technological modernisation, enterprise risk demands and strategic growth initiatives in an increasingly competitive financial landscape.