DWS establishes a new Digital Strategy, Products and Solutions team
DWS Group is creating a new Digital Strategy, Products and Solutions team to align all its activities related to digital assets and currencies, digital channels, and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
André M. Bajorat will join DWS on September 1, 2022, to lead the new team, which will become part of the Product Division. He joins from Deutsche Bank, where he was most recently Head of Strategy at the Corporate Bank. In his new role, he will report to Manfred Bauer, Global Head of the Product Division and a member of the DWS Executive Board.
Barbara Nitschke, previously responsible for Digital Asset Management under DWS CEO Stefan Hoops, will assume responsibility for Digital Products and Solutions in the newly created team. In addition, Alexander Bechtel will join DWS on October 1, 2022 and will be responsible for the Digital Strategy team. Bechtel also joins from Deutsche Bank, where he was Head of Digital Assets and Currencies Strategy for the Corporate Bank. Nitschke and Bechtel will report to Bajorat.
Stefan Hoops, DWS CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, said: "The asset management industry is experiencing a digital transformation similar to what we have been seeing in other financial services sectors. Digital technologies such as blockchain, application programming interfaces (APIs) and data science are impacting all parts of the asset management value chain. As a result, we have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that DWS is prepared for further digital disruption in our industry and to enable our clients and shareholders to benefit from the opportunities that come with it."
Manfred Bauer added: "We are delighted to have three digital entrepreneurs on board, André Bajorat, Barbara Nitschke and Alexander Bechtel, whose expertise and experience will enable us to strategically target the opportunities of profound digital change in our industry. We are enriching the knowledge we already have at DWS and supplementing it with additional external expertise."
André M. Bajorat joined Deutsche Bank in 2020 as Head of Strategy for the Corporate Bank. Before that, he founded FIGO, a “banking-as-a-service" fintech company licensed by German regulator BaFin, which he also led as CEO from 2014 to 2019. Bajorat has held various corporate management positions over the course of his career, such as at Giropay GmbH between 2006 and 2009, and has worked as an investor and advisor in various fintech and private equity companies, including Finleap. From 2016 to 2019, he was also a member of bitkom's executive board and a mentor in various start-up accelerators, including Axel Springer Plug and Play. In 2011, he founded the platform paymentsandbanking.com, which has since accompanied the fintech scene with articles, podcasts and conferences. Bajorat is also a member of the Fintech Council Digital Finance Forum of the German Federal Ministry of Finance.
Barbara Nitschke has been with DWS since 2014 and has been responsible for Digital Asset Management since 2020. In this role, she has been instrumental in strengthening DWS' focus on modern technologies across different departments. In doing so, she has driven business opportunities around digital assets, cryptocurrencies, and data science. Nitschke holds a Bachelor of Science from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, as well as a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Alexander Bechtel has been working at Deutsche Bank since 2020, where he was most recently responsible for the Corporate Bank's Digital Asset and Currency Strategy. Together with Bajorat and other colleagues, he has played a leading role in building a team and governance structure for digital assets and currencies. Bechtel has extensive experience in the blockchain and digital asset ecosystem, which he has regularly reported on in his own podcast since 2019. Bechtel received his doctorate from the University of St. Gallen, where he is still active as an external lecturer on blockchain and money.
About DWS Group
DWS Group (DWS) with EUR 833bn of assets under management (as of 30 June 2022) aspires to be one of the world's leading asset managers. Building on more than 60 years of experience, it has a reputation for excellence in Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia. DWS is recognized by clients globally as a trusted source for integrated investment solutions, stability and innovation across a full spectrum of investment disciplines.
We offer individuals and institutions access to our strong investment capabilities across all major liquid and illiquid asset classes as well as solutions aligned to growth trends. Our diverse expertise in Active, Passive and Alternatives asset management – as well as our deep environmental, social and governance focus – complement each other when creating targeted solutions for our clients. Our expertise and on-the-ground knowledge of our economists, research analysts and investment professionals are brought together in one consistent global CIO View, giving strategic guidance to our investment approach.
DWS wants to innovate and shape the future of investing. We understand that, both as a corporate as well as a trusted advisor to our clients, we have a crucial role in helping navigate the transition to a more sustainable future. With approximately 3,600 employees in offices all over the world, we are local while being one global team. We are committed to acting on behalf of our clients and investing with their best interests at heart so that they can reach their financial goals, no matter what the future holds. With our entrepreneurial, collaborative spirit, we work every day to deliver outstanding investment results, in both good and challenging times to build the best foundation for our clients’ financial future.