Societe Generale Names William Connelly Future Chairman of the Board

Societe Generale has announced its plan to appoint William Connelly as the chairman of its board of directors, with the transition scheduled to take place in May 2026. This appointment is contingent upon Connelly's re-election as a director at the bank's general meeting on May 20th.

Connelly, who has served as a member of the board of directors since 2017, currently holds key positions within the bank's governance structure. He chairs the risk committee and is also a member of the nomination and corporate governance committee.

He will succeed Lorenzo Smaghi, who has held the chairman position since 2015. Notably, the bank has not publicly disclosed the reasons behind this leadership change.

This announcement follows Societe Generale's 2024 appointment of Slawomir Krupa as CEO, a succession process that Smaghi played a significant role in facilitating. This new appointment of Connelly, further signifies a new leadership direction for the large french bank.

Connelly's professional background includes a long career in the financial sector. A French citizen, he began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank in 1980, and later held senior leadership roles at ING, where he led the group's wholesale banking operations from 2011 to 2016.