© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Deputy Chief Executive of Pekao Luigi Lovaglio presents the company results during a media conference at the bank’s headquarters in Warsaw March 9, 2011. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s Treasury is set to hand veteran banker Luigi Lovaglio a new mandate as chief executive of state-owned lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
Lovaglio, who built his career at UniCredit (LON:) where he eventually rose to lead the group’s former Polish unit Bank Pekao, arrived at Monte dei Paschi (MPS) just over a year ago, when the Treasury pushed out his predecessor.
The state owns 64% of MPS following a 2017 bailout.
Lovaglio, one of Italy’s most experienced commercial bankers, in November oversaw a make-or-break 2.5 billion euro ($2.7 billion) capital raise which allowed MPS to bolster capital and fund voluntary layoffs.
Lovaglio has pledged to boost MPS’ profitability as he works to prepare the bank for a merger that would allow the state to meet re-privatisation commitments taken with European Union competition authorities at the time of the bailout.
The sources said the Treasury would also appoint as chairman Nicola Maione, a lawyer who has been sitting on MPS’ board since 2017 and has previously chaired the board of state-controlled air traffic controller Enav.
With MPS shareholders due to vote to appoint new directors next month, the Treasury – as the single biggest shareholder in the bank – is preparing to file in the coming hours its slate of nominees for the Tuscan lender’s board.
($1 = 0.9295 euros)
