Helaba boss Thomas Groß announces retirement in 2027

The Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen (Helaba) is heading for a change in leadership. CEO Thomas Groß will retire at his own request when his contract expires in October 2027, the institute in Frankfurt announced. The Board of Directors therefore initiated the succession process at its regular meeting today. Groß, who has a degree in industrial engineering, has been CEO of Helaba since June 2020 and is currently also President of the Federal Association of German Public Banks (VÖB).

“Helaba was and is a matter of the heart for me,” said Groß (61). After a total of more than 20 years on the board, including 15 years at Helaba, the time has come to start a new phase of life.

“We would have liked to continue working with Thomas Groß at Helaba, but we respect his personal decision not to extend the expiring contract,” explained Stefan Reuß, Chairman of the Helaba Board of Directors. At the same time, he thanked Groß for enabling an orderly succession process with his early declaration.

Helaba, with around 6,900 employees worldwide, is Germany's third largest state bank. It acts as a service provider for savings banks in Hesse, Thuringia, North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg. In 2025 it achieved a profit of 731 million euros before taxes.