Senior promotions at BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions as mid-term plan gets into gear

Xavier Viollet, chief operating officer (COO), becomes deputy CEO of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions.

Viollet, 60, is an alumni of the École Polytechnique. He joined BNP in 1988, where he held several roles within the French banking network: in charge of card payments, self-service and home banking services; manager of the projects division, deputy head of products and markets; and manager of the e-business department.

In 2002, he became general secretary of BNP Paribas Group IT, then, from 2007 to 2013, he was head of finance at Arval. He joined Leasing Solutions in September 2013 as chief operating officer and a member of the general management committee. Since 2015, Xavier Viollet has supervised finance, IT, development & strategy, procurement, digital transformation and structuring functions.

Pascal Layan, head of International Business Lines, becomes COO of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions.

Layan, 51, graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Bordeaux and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

He became sales director technology solutions France of BNP Paribas Lease Group in 2000, then sales director of the technology solutions international business line in 2005. From 2008 to 2011, he took up the responsibility of managing director of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions Portugal. He was head of marketing in 2011, then, between 2012 and 2015, head of the equipment & logistics solutions international business line, board member of CNHi Capital Europe and Claas Financial Services, and chairman of JCB Finance.

Since 2015, Pascal Layan has served as head of international business lines and a member of the general management committee.

Wolfgang Pinner, head of country coverage, becomes COO of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions.

Pinner, 53, is a graduate from the University of Bonn (Germany) and holds a Master’s degree in Economics.

From 1989 to 2008, he was sales director for construction equipment and material handling, head of credit and wholesale finance, then head of the joint-ventures management.

In 2008, he joined Leasing Solutions Corporate Center where he was, during two years, head of partnerships and joint-ventures before being, from 2010 to 2012, head of the equipment & logistics solutions international business line. In 2012, Pinner assumed the role of managing director of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions Germany. In 2015, he was appointed head of country coverage and a member of the general management committee.

These appointments follow the retirement of Christian de Nonneville, deputy CEO.

Written by Brian Rogerson, Asset Finance International