"I AM CURRENTLY SEEING A POSITIVE CHANGE”
KUNST MEETS JOHANNA TJADEN-SCHULTE
After a career spanning over two decades at a major international bank, Johanna Tjaden-Schulte moved to NRW. BANK in October 2024. As a member of the managing board of the development bank, she now wants to advance further innovation and transformation in NRW. She talks with VIVID publisher Rainer Kunst about her specific plans, the green transformation as a huge opportunity for NRW and work-life balance as a top executive.
Before your current position as a member of the managing board of NRW.BANK, you worked for Commerzbank for 26 years. What did you take with you from that time?
Above all, I received a high-quality education. Thanks to the group structure at Commerzbank, every two or three years I had the opportunity to get to know a new area and thus to develop as a professional. That's why I was able to learn, see and experience a lot - and that has shaped me. So today I can say with confidence that I am very well prepared for the role as a board member.
What are the biggest differences between a major international bank and NRW.BANK, a development bank?
One major difference is the ownership structure. A large commercial bank as a DAX-listed group has a rather anonymous shareholder structure and a clear shareholder-value approach with regard to the share price. NRW.BANK, on the other hand, is owned by the state of NRW. Together with our client we ask questions such as: What is good for the state? What role can NRW.BANK play in this? The business models are also very different. While a commercial bank basically offers everything from financial investments to payment and lending, we as a development bank are explicitly focussed on development - for example in the form of equity and debt financing and grants. And it's about providing advice and linking the relevant players. We have access to all market participants, such as universities, startups, medium-sized companies, municipalities, investors and also private individuals, for example, when it comes to the promotion of housing. Our core mission is to bring all players together as this creates something new.
What would you like to focus on as a board member?
My department focuses on sales and funding strategies. We are concentrating on transformation and innovation - in other words, the topics that are massively moving the world, Germany and NRW at the moment. With regards to funding, we think in a very strategic way - instead of enabling a bit of transformation everywhere, we are setting clear priorities along value chains and ecosystems. This way we create maximum impact with every euro of funding. Let`s take green, affordable energy as an example. To achieve this, we not only finance wind turbines, but also look at the entire system: grids, storage, infrastructure. As we want to understand things properly, we also need to be close and in dialogue with those involved. Only then can we optimally promote transformation.
How would you define success at NRW.BANK?
Success is the maximum effectiveness for the objectives the state has set. So, if NRW wants to become the first climate-neutral industrialised region in Europe, then we at NRW.BANK must contribute to this goal with our activities. We measure success not primarily in terms of earnings, but in terms of certain impact parameters - for example an increase in productivity in NRW, more support for houses and flats, etc. We therefore have very substantive goals, without losing sight of the importance of the quantitative part of the bank.
„Our core mission is to bring all players together as this creates something new“
The global challenges are huge. Compared to Europe, the United States invest much more of their own capital in innovation. How can we perhaps position ourselves differently and assert ourselves?
I am currently seeing a positive change. A new form of cooperation is emerging - from Europe, across Germany and all the way to NRW. In my opinion, the greatest leverage lies in players joining forces more strongly, because no one can do it alone. Especially in growth phases, there is a lack of equity financing in this country, which in the past has led to technological innovations and capital being migrated to the USA, for example. Today, we have the opportunity not only to finance, but also to keep technologies here. NRW has the know-how, excellent universities and strong clusters of companies and support structures. We are better positioned than many others – and we must utilise this now and start implementing it!
When I look at national politics, I have the feeling that the issue of sustainability is slipping a little into the background, while in NRW it tends to come more to the fore. How do you see this?
That's how I perceive it too. At NRW.BANK, we are totally convinced that we have an absolute competitive advantage, if we manage to invest in sustainable business models. Because there is huge potential in this and most of the SMEs that we focus on have also recognised this. Two weeks ago (mid-May 2025, editor's note), our programme NRW.BANK Invest Zukunft went live on the market and it has been experiencing a crazy run on it. This development programme combines the big topics of climate, digitalisation and innovation and is easy and unbureaucratic to access. I am very pleased about the great demand and the advantages that the domestic economy can derive from it.
Many small and medium-sized companies are struggling to find suitable successors. How do you help with regards to this?
We use equity financing, for example, to support management buyout solutions. This shows that this topic is very close to our hearts. We also promote it at events with other banks. Because if we want to remain viable in the future in NRW, we have to support the SME structure with its many jobs and high innovation potential.
„I am currently seeing a positive change. A new form of cooperation is emerging – from Europe, across Germany and all the way to NRW“
ABOUT JOHANNA TJADEN-SCHULTE
• Since 2024: Member of the Board of Management of NRW.BANK, responsible for:
- Transformation and Innovation
- Grant funding - Equity financing
- Funding advice & customer service
• 1998-2024: Various positions at Commerzbank AG, most recently Head of Credit Risk Management SME & Collateral Management Corporate Customers Germany
• Education: Degree in Banking and Finance (with distinction), Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
• Training: Bank clerk
• Other roles:
- Advisory board member at Gründerfonds Ruhr
- Member of the steering committee at Fin.Connect NRW
- Mentor and advisory board member in business networks
• Personal details: Married, one child
„Success is the maximum effectiveness for the objectives the state has set“
What role does AI play in your business model?
Smaller companies are often still a long way from effectively utilising AI for various reasons such as lack of capacity, lack of knowledge or insufficient financial resources. With our major programme "InvestFuture", we support companies that have already done the necessary preparatory work. But we are also looking into how we can pick up smaller SMEs earlier. We are thinking about customised enablement formats, such as AI consulting or support with feasibility studies. We want to accompany companies step by step, for example by supporting digitalisation managers. We want to use customised support to drive the digital transformation of SMEs and, in addition to existing programmes, support each company individually with their specific needs.
Keyword work-life balance: what is needed so that employees can reconcile family and career even better?
And how do you manage to do that? That is a multidimensional question. In my opinion, you need clear priorities that you have to define individually as a family. Then you need a good structure and clear communication and transparency. And it also needs good support from the organisation which I, as a board member, have. I think we need to discuss this topic even more in Germany in order to get a better idea.
What do you like about Düsseldorf in particular?
I've lived in many cities, so I can make informed comparisons: Düsseldorf has manageable structures and, in my opinion, offers very good opportunities for different people to come together - from the world of business, science, politics, art. And where that happens, it's easier for new ideas to emerge. That's something special and I really like it. •
Text: Tom Corrinth
Interview: Rainer Kunst
Pictures: Celine Al-Mosawi