Dive Brief:
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Berlin-based neobank N26 appointed Jan Kemper as CFO on Monday, in what analysts call a decisive move toward an IPO.
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Kemper, who has a Ph.D. is in economics, brings decades of experience leading finance and operations at public and private companies. Most notably, he led online retailer Zalando's 2014 IPO and served as group CFO of German entertainment company ProSiebenSat.1 Media from 2017 to 2019.
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Kemper will report directly to N26 co-founder Maximilian Tayenthal, who had been serving as finance chief, but will now become co-CEO alongside Valentin Stalf. "Jan's track record in scaling companies from start-up through IPO will be invaluable as we set in motion our plans for the future," Tayenthal said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
"It's a really exciting time to be joining N26, a dynamic and successful disruptor in the finance industry with the opportunity to provide radically better banking for millions," Kemper said. "I look forward to working with their team of leaders and innovators as we accelerate N26 toward its growth ambitions in the coming years."
Kemper, who is set to begin in his new role this year, is the latest in N26's series of executive hires.
N26 hired Diana Styles in September as its chief people officer. She previously served as senior vice president of human resources, global sales and brands at Adidas. The bank also hired Adrienne Gormley to serve as chief operating officer. She had been vice president of global customer experience at Dropbox.
N26 is among Europe's most successful private fintechs. It was valued at $3.5 billion after its Series D funding round in May. Its investors include Chinese conglomerate Tencent Holdings and European financial services company Allianz, and it's backed by billionaire Peter Thiel.
N26 may file an initial public offering within the next two years, Bloomberg reported in October, citing people familiar with the matter.
The mobile bank operates in 25 countries, employs over 1,500 people, and in August announced it had accumulated 500,000 customers in its first year in the U.S.
