Swiss bank Julius Baer, in its latest leadership shake-off, has appointed Peter Burrill as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and a member of its executive board, effective August 17. Burrill will be replacing Evie Kostakis as the venture charts its recovery route after suffering heavy losses linked to risky lending.
Burrill is joining Julius Baer from Standard Chartered, where he last worked as interim Group CFO after holding roles at Deutsche Bank and KPMG.
“He brings profound depth and breadth of financial expertise, having led the full range of finance and regulatory functions,” Julius Baer CEO Stefan Bollinger said about Burrill.
Burrill joins from Standard Chartered, where he spent nine years in a series of senior finance roles, most recently serving as interim group CFO and a member of the group management team. Before that, he was group head of the British multinational giant’s central finance and deputy CFO, overseeing a broad transformation of the bank’s finance function, including its infrastructure, operating model, and international organization.
Before Standard Chartered, Burrill served as Group Controller and Co-Head of Group Finance at Deutsche Bank, where he oversaw the German lender’s global finance operations, financial reporting, and regulatory policy. He began his career at KPMG, spending two decades in the firm’s financial services audit practice before becoming a partner in Munich and Frankfurt.
“Burrill brings more than 30 years of international experience across Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara,” Julius Baer said while announcing the industry veteran’s appointment as its Group CFO.
Burrill faces a tough task in terms of charting the bank’s recovery path, as the financial institute is still under an enforcement assessment by Swiss financial market regulator FINMA over losses to collapsed Austrian property group Signa, which prohibits Julius Baer from announcing new share buybacks.
The venture has already reported a 25% decline in its 2025 net profit to 764 million Swiss Franc (USD 981.3 million), as one-off items and credit losses offset stronger underlying performance.
The Swiss wealth manager also booked net credit losses of 213 million Swiss francs, following large writedowns in 2025 related to the collapse of the Signa property group. Its yearly results were further affected by a net impact of 99 million Swiss Franc from the sale of its Brazilian business and higher income taxes.