Gabriela Pantring to become new Chairwoman of NRW.BANK’s Managing Board

At the proposal of the Executive and Nomination Committee, NRW.BANK’s Supervisory Board today agreed that Gabriela Pantring (59), the current Deputy Chairwoman of the Managing Board, shall become the new Managing Board Chairwoman of the Bank effective February 1, 2026. She will succeed Eckhard Forst, who will retire at the end of January 2026. After Forst’s departure, NRW.BANK’s Managing Board will again be composed of four members.

Gabriela Pantring has shaped the face of NRW.BANK for many years. She joined the Managing Board as early as 2016 and has served as its Deputy Chairwoman since 2023. In this role, she gradually assumed more and more responsibility and is now taking the next logical step by taking over the helm of the federal state-owned promotional bank.

Mona Neubaur, Economics Minister, Vice Prime Minister and Chairwoman of NRW.BANK’s Supervisory Board, commented on the appointment: “Ms Pantring stands for experience, continuity and commitment. She will be a Chairwoman who knows the challenges of the coming years and is able to master them. She will develop the Bank in line with our public mission – close to the people in North Rhine-Westphalia. Together, we will be able to realise our vision of NRW.BANK as a modern promotional bank that has the agility to meet demands and will drive digitalisation forward. I am particularly pleased that a competent woman will take over the helm of such an important institution. Women in management positions are crucial for a modern, fair society – and they serve as important role models for the next generation.”

About Gabriela Pantring:

Gabriela Pantring has been a member of the Managing Board of the promotional bank owned by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia since November 1, 2016. In her current role on the Managing Board, she has front-office responsibilities, including Capital Markets, Promotion Programmes, and Special Finance, which encompasses Infrastructure and Syndicated Loan Business. She holds various mandates, including Vice President of the European Association of Public Banks (EAPB).

She began her career in the mid-1980s in the savings banks organisation and later worked for the Group Audit Department of Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale in London. In 2002, she joined the newly established NRW.BANK, where she headed several units. In 2013, Ms Pantring became a member of the Managing Board of ILB Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg, before returning to NRW.BANK in 2016.

A strong signal for North Rhine-Westphalia

By appointing Gabriela Pantring, NRW.BANK opts for stability and a focus on the future. In times of transformation, digitalisation and social change, she is taking on an important task, as the promotional bank must remain a reliable partner to the local population, authorities and enterprises, while providing fresh impetus at the same time.
Media contact: Caroline Fischer, Press Officer / Phone: +49 211 91741-1847, e-mail

NRW.BANK – the promotional bank for North Rhine-Westphalia

NRW.BANK is the promotional bank of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). In close partnership with its owner, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Bank helps to strengthen SMEs and start-ups, create affordable housing and improve public infrastructure. NRW.BANK offers people, enterprises and local authorities in NRW tailor-made financing solutions and advisory services. It cooperates with its financing partners, in particular all banks and savings banks, on a competition-neutral basis. In order to accelerate the transformation processes, the Bank provides effective promotional impulses – for a sustainable, climate-neutral and digital North Rhine-Westphalia.