Ulf Slopek has assumed office as President of the Regional Office in Hesse, taking over from Thomas Ollinger who now heads the Bundesbank’s Directorate General Procurement. At a ceremony marking the change of office, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel paid tribute to their strengths and achievements. Mr Nagel noted that they both have an exceptional “can-do” attitude. Mr Slopek and Mr Ollinger took up their new positions back in September.

Mr Slopek moved from Directorate General Communications, where he acted as Deputy Director for Director General Ingrid Herden. Prior to this, Mr Slopek, who holds a doctorate in economics, worked in the Bank’s Directorate General Economics, where his roles included heading the Office for Cross-Sectional Tasks and Speeches. He is regarded as an expert on the US economy and the global economy as a whole.

President thanks Mr Ollinger for his services

Mr Nagel also took the opportunity to thank Mr Ollinger for being “the face of the Bundesbank in Hesse” for over five years in his position as President of the Regional Office in Hesse. Before taking up this post, Mr Ollinger, who holds a doctorate in law, had headed the Directorate General Human Resources from 2013 to 2019 and worked in the Directorate General Legal Services.

Alongside Mr Nagel, Hesse’s Finance Minister Alexander Lorz, Frankfurt City Treasurer Bastian Bergerhoff, and Mario Mattera, Chairman of Bankenverband Mitte and Member of the Executive Board of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG., also spoke at the ceremony.

Importance of the regional offices

Ulf Slopek thanked the Executive Board for the considerable amount of trust placed in him: It is an honour for me to head the Regional Office here in my home state of Hesse. It is an exciting and demanding position.

Mr Slopek also explained the added value of regional offices for the Bundesbank: The regional offices make it easier for the Bundesbank to get its messages across to the regions. The Bank is closer to the public through the regional offices. In his concluding remarks, he paid tribute to the work carried out by the Bank’s Frankfurt am Main branch, which supplies the Rhine-Main area and the whole of Hesse with cash.