NGlobal Magazin 01-2010

Nord/LB bank is one of the leading commercial banks in northern Germany

Niedersachsen Global www.nglobal.de Initiatives 59 two areas which are of particular importance in Niedersachsen? What sort of perspectives and challenges result for Nord/LB? Over the past few years the maritime economy, partic- ularly in the Niedersachsen coastal regions, has stood out as being remarkably dynamic. This trend was in- terrupted by the current global economic crisis. De- spite first positive signals in the development of the global economy we are not dewy-eyed, for the time being we see the maritime industry experiencing fur- ther strain. Quite a bit of work lies ahead of us. As far as the power industry is concerned, we are particu- larly active in the field of renewable energies. Wind energy, photovoltaics and bioenergy remain for us without a doubt an important and promising sector. Currently there are discussions about making credit available for medium-sized companies. How do you see the financial situation of medium-sized businesses? A number of medium-sized companies do feel the ef- fects of the crisis although they have no share in caus- ing it. Therefore, banks are needed that do not shirk their responsibilities. State banks and savings banks have even expanded their lines of credit for this rea- son. Nord/LB started a corporate customer campaign before the financial crisis, and we have upheld it dur- ing the crisis. By doing so we have increased our cred- it volume with mid-sized companies by 20 percent while winning 250 new clients. This does not mean that today we will do any credit business that comes our way. If we would not have given credit three years ago, we, of course, won’t today. One has to always be able to justify a commitment, both its economic side and its risks. What role do you want to play in the future, accompanying medium-sized companies’ export business? This is a classical state bank business, and we will re- main a reliable and competent partner for our medi- um-sized companies also in this area. We are repre- sented in the significant financial centres and trade hubs of New York, London and Luxemburg, but also in Shanghai, Singapore and Beijing, to give you some examples. This is where we accompany our clients as local partners. As a shareholder of the state owned one-stop consultancy and promotion agency NGlobal, what perspectives is Nord/LB guided by? Nord/LB has been rooted in Niedersachsen for more than 250 years. It is obvious that we should feel par- ticularly close ties with this federal state. Our com- mitment at NGlobal allows us to play an active part in the efforts to further strengthen Niedersachen as a business location. We are pleased to contribute our experience and contacts. NGlobal aggressively pro- motes the state’s foreign trade activities; the company also works towards attracting even more companies to the state as a location for business. As Landesbank Niedersachsen it gives us pleasure to support these all these activities. Photo: Nord/LB “We are represented in the significant financial centres and trade hubs of New York, London and Luxemburg, but also in Shanghai, Singapore and Beijing. This is where we accompany our clients as local partners.” Eckhard Forst, member of the Nord/LB board of management Eckhard Forst The lawyer Eckhard Forst has been a mem- ber of the Nord/LB board of management since 2007. Having first served a bank appren- ticeship from 1978 to 1980, he then worked for Deutsche Bank, mainly in charge of the bank’s major corporate clients. Before moving on to Nord/LB in 2007, Forst also served as a Managing Director for Deutsche Bank as well as the Directeur Général of Banque Worms S.A., both posts were in Paris.