Being a partner at Gutmann

3 years ago, I amended my professional career and started at Gutmann. I left my old life behind and moved to Vienna with my family. It was not an easy decision, but one that brought about wonderful things. I have been a partner at Gutmann since June, for myself an emotional milestone.

Entrepreneurship is an essential core value of Gutmann. Alongside the Kahane family, the partner concept characterizes the bank's traditional yet modern spirit. Senior employees hold shares in the company and are thus part of the circle of owners. A unique concept in Austria. 

Even though I have always been entrepreneurial myself, being a Gutmann partner is still something completely new. I feel challenged to shape matters even more and to get actively involved in them. Today and in the future. I am very much looking forward to this!

Together for you

For you, our customers, the partner concept makes a decisive difference. The partners come from different specialist areas within the company. Their focus is on finding and developing the best services and product solutions for you. Silo thinking does not even come into play. Diversity and vision are at the forefront. It is not just about operational excellence, but also reflecting the optimal long-term orientation of the bank. “How can we be successful together?” is the all-important question here. 

Together with myself, five additional colleagues were welcomed into the circle of partners. This brought the number of co-owners to 26 - a dimension with which our company once again stands out from the rest of the industry. 

The value of change

My change to Gutmann had a strong impact on me. The value of this transformation was immense. Not because I now write to you as Chief Investment Officer and Partner. No, it is because Gutmann has the entrepreneurial spirit that I could not find anywhere else. A family business with tradition, completely independent and not too big to fail. Gutmann must be commercially successful, and its customers are undisputedly its top priority. 

In October, our long-serving Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frank W. Lippitt will hand over the leadership baton to Marcel Landesmann, setting the course for the future of the bank. I still remember well one of my first conversations with Mr. Lippitt. He looked at me resolutely and said, “For us, it is all about the customers. And nothing else.” 

The Gutmann Spirit

Moving to a new company always means growing into the specific corporate culture and adapting one’s self to the company's DNA. The Gutmann spirit has taken hold of me, captured my DNA, and thereby changed me permanently.

Since becoming Chief Investment Officer in October 2021, I have reported directly to Mr. Lippitt and have learned a great deal in those months. Based on these shared experiences, it is completely clear to me why he has led the company so successfully over decades.

With optimism and full of energy, I look forward to working with our new CEO Marcel Landesmann. The clarity of his thoughts and visions is reflected in the lucidity of his words. Dear clients, if you meet Marcel at our company or elsewhere, take the chance to talk to him - then you will understand my remarks.

The summer break 

3 years ago, I decided to join a group of individuals who put the well-being of their customers above all else and additionally, willing to change themselves with their own needs. 

I am happy to share this gratitude and joy with you before the traditional August summer break of Gutmann Viewpoint. 

You will then receive my newsletter again on September 9. Until then, I wish you a wonderful time and send you my best wishes from the shady courtyard of the Gutmann headquarters at Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna. Sincerely, Robert Karas