Ex-HSBC manager Schmettow now leads Zeal Network's supervisory board.
Germany-based e-commerce company Zeal Network has announced that Carola Countess von Schmettow, former CEO of HSBC Germany, will take over as the chairperson of its supervisory board, succeeding Peter Steiner. The change comes following Zeal Network's annual general meeting held on Thursday.
Before joining Zeal Network, von Schmettow served a significant portion of her career at Bankhaus Trinkaus & Burkhardt, a bank's predecessor institution. She held various positions within the bank, including on the board of directors for 17 years and six years as its spokesperson.
In 2021, von Schmettow left her long-held role as CEO of HSBC Germany, as the subsidiary was reduced to a branch following the integration of the former private bank into the continental European HSBC unit. Peter Steiner, who has been a member of the Zeal Network supervisory board since June 2013 and its chairman since 2017, had announced his intention to resign from the supervisory board at the company's annual general meeting in 2025.
Von Schmettow's appointment to the Zeal Network supervisory board was formally approved by the Hamburg Regional Court in November 2024. Her initial tenure is until the end of this year's annual general meeting, where her re-election will be decided.
Previously, Steiner had been the chairman of a six-member Zeal Network supervisory committee since 2017, albeit with a brief exception in 2019. He has been a member of the committee since June 2013. With her extensive financial background, von Schmettow is expected to bring valuable expertise to the position.
Carola Countess von Schmettow, with her extensive financial background, will bring valuable expertise to the Zeal Network supervisory board, given her previous roles in both business and finance, such as her time spent as the CEO of HSBC Germany and her service on the board of directors and as spokesperson for Bankhaus Trinkaus & Burkhardt. Upon her appointment, von Schmettow is set to take over as the chairperson of Zeal Network's supervisory board following Peter Steiner, who has been a significant contributor through his roles on the board since 2013, including his current term as chairman since 2017.
