Interview with Ida
ING announced today that Ida Lerner will be appointed as chief financial officer (CFO) of ING. Until recently, Ida served as CFO at Norwegian bank DNB. She will succeed Tanate Phutrakul, who will step down from his position at ING’s annual general meeting in April 2026 as announced in July 2025.
Find out more about ING’s new CFO and what makes her tick.
Ida Lerner
You’ve had a long career in banking and finance in global and Nordic financial institutions. What attracted you to ING?
I have followed ING with interest for some time and have been impressed by the bank’s commitment to technology, innovation and in developing its global presence. What stands out to me is ING’s strong values, inclusive culture and ambitious vision, all qualities important to me. The combination of a customer-centric mindset, strong execution capacity, and scalable platform gives ING a unique edge in realising its ambition to become the best European bank. I am excited by the opportunity to contribute to this journey.
What qualities and experience do you bring to the role?
Throughout my career in banking, I’ve held a variety of roles - from stockbroker and relationship manager for large corporates to chief risk officer and, most recently chief financial officer. Across all these positions, I have brought a strong customer focus and a genuine curiosity to challenge the status quo. I strongly believe that the biggest risks larger organisations face are complacency and lack of ability to renew itself. I therefore believe it’s important to always stay ahead, be able to identify what is happening around us and to interpret how that impacts us short-term as well as long-term. I hope my analytical approach combined with experience from highly digital Nordic markets will bring some added value to the ING team.
What’s your leadership style?
I am an authentic and inclusive leader – I thrive on building strong, diverse teams where people feel empowered to contribute. I am result-oriented and transparent; what you see is what you get. While I am comfortable making decisions independently, I believe the best outcomes come from leveraging the collective expertise of the team. Few things are more rewarding to me than seeing colleagues grow, take on added responsibilities and succeed in that.
You’ve had roles from stockbroking to heading customer analysis to overseeing risk management. How have these experiences helped you in being CFO?
Each of my previous roles has given me important insight and tools which help me in my CFO role. I believe a strong CFO combines financial expertise with a deep understanding of business and risk management. In banking, taking calculated risk is essential, but they need to be carefully managed and aligned with the overall strategy. Profitability and solidity are a first line of defense. I hope my diverse background helps me to spot both vulnerabilities and untapped opportunities, ensuring resilience and positioning for future growth.
Operating in a complex and volatile environment seems to be the ‘new normal’. How do we stay ahead?
Volatility, geopolitical and macro-economic uncertainty have indeed become the ‘new normal’. Especially as banking undergoes rapid transformation driven by changing customer behaviour, entrants of new competitors like fintechs and rapid technological advances such as AI. To stay ahead, we must continuously ensure we deliver superior customer propositions at a competitive price. We also need to grow a diversified income base which delivers sound profitability and solidity also in a more volatile macro environment.
What excites you and gets you out of bed each day?
What excites me most is the opportunity to help build something stronger and better every day. Being part of a team that strives for continuous improvement and positive impact is, for me, truly motivating.
Your new role requires you to move to the Netherlands. Will that be a big change for you?
My family and I have over the past 10 years, lived in Stockholm, London and Oslo and we truly enjoy discovering new cities and cultures. My husband and I have three sons - two of whom have recently left home for university. Our youngest son, my husband and I are genuinely excited about moving to Amsterdam; our recent visit only reinforced that feeling. It is such a beautiful and vibrant city with its canals, nice restaurants and international community.