First female chairperson to lead Bankers Association

Not only is Baronice Hans the first Namibian women to lead a bank, she is also the first women to lead the Bankers Association of Namibia. She is the chairperson elect of the Bankers Association of Namibia and will start in this role on 01 April 2017 for a one-year term.

Ms Hans has been an active member of the association since early last year shortly after she became Bank Windhoek’s new Managing Director.

After a banking career of only eight years, she has reached a pinnacle in her professional achievements. The high regard she enjoys in the banking sector is confirmed by the expectations of her peers when they voted for her to be the next Bankers Association chairperson.

“We are very pleased to receive this prestigious honour to chair the association and to drive its mandate for the next year. I look forward to lead the Bankers Association Council as chairperson and to work more closely with the CEO’s of the [other] banks to address non-competitive issues of common interest. The collective background and experience of the council members is invaluable and represents the interests of Namibia’s banking sector,” she said.

“The banking industry is faced with a myriad of challenges, however collectively working to a common goal will ensure that, together with our key stakeholders such as the Bank of Namibia and the government, we build a sound banking industry which is the backbone of our economy,” Hans stated.

During Ms Hans’ tenure, Bank Windhoek will chair the various sub committees which are part of the association’s structure. These are Credit, Treasury, Human Resource, Accounting & Tax, Compliance, Legal, IT, Operational and Public Relations.

The Bankers Association of Namibia was established in 1997 in accordance with the Banking Institutions Act as the representative trade association for the commercial banking.

This is illustrated by milestones such as the Code of Banking Practice and Guidelines for Lodging Customer Complaints that now appears on the websites of all the commercial banks.

Ms Hans is the incumbent Namibian Businesswoman of the Year, a title she received in 2015 when she was still in the employ of Standard Bank.