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Right-hand man Bouee, no shrinking violet, reverts to «Le Roi»-type fealty in Thiam’s presence which is alien to Switzerland, according to one source. 

Other allies include investment banker Brian Chin, private banking head Iqbal Khan, and finance chief David Mathers, who is close to major shareholder Olayan Group. A 20-year veteran of Credit Suisse, Mathers is «shrewd and politically adept, and he knows where all the bodies are buried at Credit Suisse (mainly because he buried most of them),» as Frontline analyst (and ex-Credit Suisse broker) Dan Davies put it.

His comments allude to Credit Suisse’s reputation for being, even more than other investment banks, a ruthless shark tank for its top talent.

IMF Job?

When Thiam leaves is a major question – within the bank even more so than outside. Thiam himself fueled the fire three months ago, when he personally penned a fulsome statement in Credit Suisse’s name to explain why he would not stand in Côte d'Ivoire's 2020 presidential elections.

A spokesman for Credit Suisse said the bank's media releases are written by its communications team. It isn’t clear who exactly had expected Thiam, who had served in the west African nation’s government while still in his 30s, to leave banking for politics.

Instead, the passionate statement revived speculation that he wants to replace Christine Lagarde at the International Monetary Fund (he had already been bandied around to replace her in 2016, when she looked vulnerable due to a French financial scandal. Lagarde survived that scare, but her term at the IMF ends in 2021).

Ultra-Rich vs Wealth Gap

His self-praise for contributing to «roads, primary schools, high schools, hospitals, wells, and power plants throughout the Ivory Coast, as well as to the Third Bridge of Abidjan – one of the largest in Africa» was interpreted by some as a political stump speech. Will Thiam, who holds both Côte d'Ivoire as well as French citizenship, become the first African-born head of the IMF?

Last month, Thiam went from discussing the rise of wealth to income inequality in virtually the same breath. «It’s not my objective to weigh into a debate on inequality, but I think it’s relevant,» he said.

To hear the head of the six-largest private bank for the wealthy in the world call out inequality is unusual, and may give a hint of his future plans.