Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam is ducking press at quarterly results next week. The move is a break with tradition.
For the first time in recent memory, the CEO of Credit Suisse is not going to show up to the media presentation of his own results. Instead, finance chief David Mathers alone will field queries from media representatives in Zurich and on a conference call.
Tidjane Thiam, the bank's CEO since 2015, will not be present, the bank confirmed. His absence is notable in that Thiam had held court at the Swiss bank's press conferences for the last three years, with his 11-person top management including Asia head Helman Sitohang and finance chief David Mathers speaking only briefly, if at all.
Intellectually Impatient
Thiam's absence follows a mixed record with journalist questions, as finews.com has previously reported: he has often responded irascibly, impatiently, or dismissively. In July, he responded to a query about a Credit Suisse unit's shortfall to consensus estimates by slamming such comparisons as «so stupid».
The CEO was meant to have been in Saudi Arabia this week for a key development summit, but dropped out last week after the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, allegedly by a 15-man Saudi squad. Credit Suisse didn't disclose whether Thiam is ducking out of his media obligations in favor of another, more urgent commitment – or if he is simply tired of dealing with journalists.
