Case Study: Establishing Cross-Border banking expertise in a transforming market

Expanding financial services across the Danish-German border required more than filling vacancies. It demanded professionals with deep expertise in two banking systems, strong cultural alignment, and long-term leadership potential.

Through a structured advisory approach, Friis+Børgesen refined the talent strategy, redesigned key role profiles, and successfully completed both appointments within an accelerated eight-week timeframe.

On this page:

The Challenge

The Solution

The Impact

Key Leadership Insights

• Cross-border hires require dual-market fluency. Recruiting leaders who understand both German and Danish banking practices – and speak both languages – is essential for regional growth.

• Collaborative role definition drives alignment. Involving client stakeholders (and the newly hired leader) in shaping job requirements ensures that hires fit both current needs and future strategy.

• Targeted networks unlock passive talent. Activating specialist banking networks and bespoke outreach identifies candidates who are not actively on the market but precisely match niche skill sets.

• Rigorous assessment doesn’t delay hiring. A structured search and evaluation process can meet tight timelines by running parallel outreach and interviewing phases.

• Talent strategy can reshape operations. Insights from critical hiring projects can inform broader workforce planning; in this case, Sydbank adopted the engagement’s hiring and development practices across its German operations.

At a glance:

---

Cross-Border Expertise	Strategic Talent Design	Sustainable Impact
Bilingual banking professionals bridging Denmark and Germany	Role profiles refined through collaborative talent strategy	Talent framework adopted to support future recruitment in Germany

---

Client Introduction

Sydbank A/S is Denmark’s third-largest bank, with over 2,000 employees and an extensive branch network (53 outlets in Denmark and three in Germany – Flensburg, Hamburg, Kiel). The bank has built a strong presence in southern Denmark and is expanding its cross-border activities into Schleswig-Holstein. In Germany, Sydbank focuses on private banking for affluent individuals and lending services to local businesses. Leadership strength in these areas is strategically critical: bilingual executives familiar with both banking systems are needed to bridge operations between Denmark and Germany.

The Challenge

The Nordic banking sector is undergoing rapid consolidation and digital transformation. For example, Sydbank itself is merging with other Danish banks to form a new heavyweight in the market. At the same time, advances in AI and digital channels are reshaping how banks serve customers and assess risk. In this shifting landscape, Sydbank’s German subsidiary faced an urgent talent challenge.

Sydbank needed to appoint two senior banking professionals in Flensburg – a Private Banking leader and a Credit specialist – within an accelerated eight-week window. Each role demanded a rare combination of competencies: fluency in German and Danish, deep knowledge of the German financial market, and familiarity with Danish banking operations and corporate culture. Identifying candidates with cross-border experience was especially difficult because many otherwise qualified bankers were not actively looking for new roles.

Client Perspective

“Rather than just rushing to fill the vacancies, Mr. Gliem’s team acted as strategic advisers from day one. We worked intensively together to refine the job specifications and identify the competencies needed both now and in the future. Despite very demanding requirements, they quickly presented outstanding candidates who spoke both Danish and German fluently and had deep experience in each market. We were very pleasantly surprised by how fast they found the right people. Many of the talent strategy recommendations from this engagement have since been adopted across Sydbank’s German organisation.”– Senior HR Manager, Sydbank Germany

Traditional hiring approaches (job postings or generalist search) risked delays and misalignment. The bank’s leadership recognized that simply filling vacancies was not enough: each hire had to fit the bank’s vision for growth in Germany. Early feedback from Sydbank’s branch manager in Flensburg underscored the importance of precision. The initial job profiles proved “hard,” and required extensive refinement. Success would depend on recalibrating requirements in partnership with client stakeholders and targeting search efforts to find the right talent in a very constrained market.

The Solution

Friis+Børgesen deployed a structured Nordic executive search approach tailored to Sydbank’s specific situation. The engagement began with intensive stakeholder workshops to clarify strategic priorities and role requirements. These sessions involved the local branch manager and regional executives, ensuring shared understanding of the skills, language capabilities, and leadership style needed for long-term success. Because Sydbank’s growth in Germany was a coordinated initiative, we treated the two hires as interrelated steps in an overall talent strategy rather than isolated tasks.

Using this input, we launched parallel search campaigns. We tapped into Nordic financial networks, including Danish banking alumni groups and German private banking circles, to identify candidates who met the unique cross-border criteria. Discreet direct outreach was essential: many ideal candidates were passive on the market. Our team conducted thorough market mapping to ensure a deep candidate pipeline.

Candidate assessment was rigorous and holistic. Beyond examining resumes for banking credentials and years of experience (each selected candidate had 5–10+ years in relevant roles), we evaluated language proficiency through interviews and real-case banking scenarios. We also tested candidates’ understanding of Sydbank’s business model and culture, including structured discussions about handling cross-border client relationships and adapting to both Danish and German regulatory frameworks. This ensured that finalists demonstrated not only technical expertise but also the motivational and cultural fit to thrive in Sydbank’s binational context.

The two searches were executed in close coordination. After identifying and presenting a shortlist of qualified candidates for the Private Banking leader role, we quickly involved the chosen candidate in the process of defining the Credit specialist profile. This sequential approach allowed the incoming branch manager to contribute to refining team needs, ensuring that the subsequent hire would complement the department’s evolving direction.

Throughout the process, Friis+Børgesen maintained tight project management: weekly check-ins and alignment sessions with Sydbank’s leaders kept the search on track. This disciplined cadence accelerated decision-making without compromising the depth of evaluation.

The Impact

Both positions were filled successfully in just eight weeks, enabling Sydbank to rapidly strengthen its German operations. The selected candidates – a fluent Danish-German private banking executive and a senior credit professional – possessed exactly the dual-market expertise required.

As one Sydbank manager later reflected:

“We were very pleasantly surprised by how quickly Friis+Børgesen found the right people – candidates who speak both Danish and German fluently, and who truly understand banking in both countries.”

This fast turnaround minimized the risk of business disruption and allowed Sydbank to meet its growth targets in Germany on schedule.

Beyond the speed of hiring, the quality and strategic fit of the appointments were notable. Both hires remain in their roles to this day, effectively bridging Sydbank’s Danish and German business. One appointee has since been promoted to a senior credit leadership position in Germany and, guided by the talent strategy framework developed during the search, now leads recruitment for Sydbank’s team in Hamburg. These outcomes demonstrate the long-term value of the engagement.

The project also had wider organizational impact. The talent strategy principles established during the search – including the refined role definitions and assessment criteria – have been adopted by Sydbank’s German subsidiary for other hiring initiatives. The engagement showed that by treating recruitment as strategic workforce planning, Sydbank could not only fill urgent vacancies but also build a high-performance leadership team aligned to future challenges. In sum, the consultancy-like approach to these hires delivered both immediate staffing solutions and a roadmap for talent management in Sydbank’s cross-border expansion.

Key Metrics

• Positions Filled: 2 (Private Banking Leader, Credit Officer)

• Search Methodology: Nordic Executive Search, direct candidate outreach across Denmark–Germany

• Time-to-Fill: 8 weeks

• Candidates Assessed: 6 shortlisted, 4 interviewed, 2 offers accepted (100% acceptance)

• Functions Recruited: Private Banking, Credit (Senior roles)

• Geographical Coverage: Flensburg (primary), Hamburg (expansion) – bridging D-A operations

• Stakeholder Collaboration: Weekly workshops with branch/board, involvement of first hire in team design

• Business Outcome: Critical cross-border roles staffed rapidly, enabling Sydbank’s German expansion with highly aligned leadership teams