Robert Kubin to succeed Heinz Bednar as CEO of Erste Asset Management

The General Assembly of Erste Asset Management has appointed Robert Kubin as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 December 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals. He succeeds Heinz Bednar, who has led the company since 2006. Bednar’s retirement marks the conclusion of a highly successful tenure during which he played a key role in shaping Erste Asset Management’s growth and strengthening its position as the leading asset manager in Central Europe. Heinz Bednar will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity until his retirement at the end of August 2027, ensuring a smooth and orderly transition.

“I’d like to thank Heinz for his great contribution to development of the Group. Under his leadership, Erste Asset Management surpassed the 100 billion euros assets under management mark, cementing its position as the leading asset manager in Central Europe”, said Peter Bosek, CEO of Erste Group. “At the same time, I am very excited to welcome Robert. He has a deep understanding of our region, extensive expertise in some of our largest markets, including the Czech Republic and Poland, and is ideally positioned to further strengthen our presence across Central Europe.”

Robert Kubin is a seasoned international executive with more than 25 years of experience across asset management, insurance, and financial services.  He joins from Amundi, where he serves as Vice Chairman of the Board and Head of Distribution for Central Europe. In this role, he oversees the company's sales activities across the region and, as Vice Chairman of the Board, contributes to the oversight of Product Management, Investments, Operations, Finance, Legal, and Compliance. He has held leadership roles including CEO PZU Asset Management in Warsaw and Chief Investment Officer Central Europe at MetLife. His international career has taken him across the United Kingdom, the United States, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and India.

Heinz Bednar has served as CEO of Erste Asset Management since 2006 and has played a key role in establishing the company as the leading asset manager in Central Europe. Today, Erste Asset Management sets the benchmark in asset management, holding number-one positions in Austria, Slovakia and Romania, ranking among the top providers in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia, and maintaining a strong position in the institutional business in Germany.  As of 30 June 2026, the company had €111.7 billion in assets under management (AuM). Since 2007, Heinz Bednar also serves as President of the Austrian Association of Investment Companies (VÖIG), contributing to the development of Austria’s investment industry. He studied Economics at the University of Vienna and has held various leadership positions in research, investment banking and financial services throughout his career.

About Erste Group
Erste Group is the leading banking group in Central Europe. It serves more than 23 million customers through fully-fledged banks in eight core markets: Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

Erste Group offers private, corporate, and institutional clients a broad range of banking and financial services – from retail and private banking to corporate and transaction banking, as well as asset management. More than 55,000 employees contribute to the Group’s success. Since its founding as the first Austrian savings bank in 1819, Erste has stood for financial inclusion and the promotion of economic prosperity.

For the first half of 2026, the group reported a net result of €2.0 billion, while its CET1 ratio stood at 15.2%. Its total assets amounted to €461.1 billion.

About Erste Asset Management
Erste Asset Management GmbH (Erste AM) is an international asset management company and asset manager with more than 60 years of market experience. Erste Asset Management is backed by the financial strength of Erste Group Bank AG (Erste Group). Through its offices in Austria, Germany, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, Erste AM manages assets of €111.73 billion (as of June 2026).