The imprint on the website of FIL Fondsbank (FFB) in Frankfurt has recently featured a familiar name: Christian Staub has been chairman of the supervisory board since September 1, 2026. Fidelity International confirmed this to finews upon request. His predecessor in the role was Ferdinand-Alexander Leisten, who had previously led Fidelity's business in Germany.

FIL Fondsbank is Fidelity's investment platform in Germany. According to the company, it administers around 700,000 securities accounts and manages more than 50 billion euros.

Tailwind from Berlin

In his new role, Staub is expected to work with management to support the platform's growth strategy and ensure strong corporate governance. Fidelity sees particular opportunities in the announced German pension reform, under which the statutory pension insurance system is to be expanded for the first time with a funded component.

This would give FFB the opportunity to play an important role in products and services for private retirement provision, the fund provider says.

Return after a break

For Staub, this marks a comeback in a prominent role. In March 2024, the then head of Fidelity International in Europe unexpectedly announced that he would be scaling back his responsibilities for personal reasons (finews reported). However, he remained with the company on a part-time basis.

Since May 2026, Staub has been Senior Advisor at Fidelity, and since July he has also been a Non-Executive Director of Fidelity Funds. In addition, he sits on the board of advisors of Munich-based family office service provider DIANA Family Affairs.

From Pimco to Blackrock to Fidelity

Staub has long been one of the best-known Swiss figures in the international fund business. After positions at Allianz Asset Management in Munich and Pimco in Newport Beach, he headed Pimco's Zurich office from 2008.

He moved to Blackrock in 2014, where, as Managing Director, he was responsible for business in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe. Fidelity International hired him as head of Europe in Luxembourg in 2018 (finews reported). Staub studied at the University of St. Gallen and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.