Insights from Dr. Michael Eichhorn, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer at Bank Aston.

There are moments in a career that shape how you see risk. For Michael, some of those moments came in the middle of real crises.

We recently welcomed Dr. Michael Eichhorn to Bank Aston as Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, joining us as we continue to build the Bank ahead of launch later this year.

With over two decades of experience across risk, treasury and international banking, including senior roles at Credit Suisse, RBS and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, he's spent much of that time both building institutions and working through periods of real stress.

“I’ve worked across different jurisdictions, business models and every stage of a bank’s lifecycle, from set-up through to resolution. But what stays with you most is when risk actually materialises.”

That includes time spent in the “war room” during the global financial crisis, and more recent events in 2023.

“When things go wrong, it’s not abstract. It affects clients, investors, employees and their families. It gives you a very different perspective on what risk really means, and the responsibility that comes with it.”

That perspective is part of what led him to join Bank Aston.

“The opportunity was clear. There are areas where traditional banking models fall short. Processes can be too slow, too complex and too rigid for what clients now expect.”

But it wasn’t just the problem.

“Bank Aston had what our Chairman, Kevin Brown, would call the three Ps: the problem, a credible proposal, and most importantly, the people. The strength of the Board, founders and wider team made the difference for me.”

Having spent years leading risk through large-scale transformations, from building new operations to managing cross-jurisdictional migrations and resolution, Michael is clear that risk needs to evolve alongside the business.

“If not thoughtfully designed, risk functions can, at times, become overly bureaucratic. They monitor and report, but don’t always contribute to decision-making in a meaningful way.”

At Bank Aston, the approach is different from the outset.

“In my first conversations with our Chairman, Kevin Brown, we kept coming back to three priorities: Open and transparent dialogue with the regulator. Building a strong risk culture from day one. And governance that is both robust and genuinely independent.”

That foundation, he says, should enable better outcomes, not slow them down.

“Clients care about speed and reliability. Strong frameworks should support that.”

The focus is less on trying to predict the future, and more on being prepared for it.

“Prediction has its limits. What matters more is resilience. Building a bank that can withstand shocks and continue to operate effectively, whatever the environment.”

Over the next 12–18 months, that means turning principles into something practical. Risk frameworks aligned to capital preservation, sustainable growth and regulatory expectations, and embedded directly into decision-making.

All of this sits behind a longer-term view.

“We’re building for the long term. Something that still exists in 20 or 30 years. That means being agile, but not taking shortcuts.”

For Michael, that’s what good looks like.

“Safety, soundness and sustainability. And a risk function that is part of how the bank operates, not something that sits alongside it.”