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David Mathers, chief financial officer of Credit Suisse group |
It’s breakfast time in London but you could forgive David Mathers for not being entirely sure where he is. Just a few weeks into his new role as chief financial officer of Credit Suisse group, he’s also still carrying out the duties of his previous role as chief operating officer of the investment bank while he plays a role in choosing his successor. It means a lot of shuffling between the three main headquarters of the group in New York, London and of course Zurich, where he’s already become familiar with the importance of the doormen who guard entry into the Swiss bank’s inner sanctum.
Mathers, as with all other global bank CFOs today, has an increasingly important role to play. He has to position the bank financially to withstand regulatory pressures, especially around the use and make-up of bank capital, and ensure its liquidity in markets that have frequently ground to a halt and remain highly volatile.
Credit Suisse has the highest total tier 1 capital among its peer group, at 16.4%,