Walter Rothensteiner
 Walter Rothensteiner    (financier) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Walter Rothensteiner 7 March 1953 St. Pölten, Austria |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Alma mater | Vienna University of Economics and Business |
Criminal charge | bribery, economic infidelity |
Austrian Bilderberg banker who attended Bilderberg/2011. | |
Walter Rothensteiner was General Director of the bank Raiffeisen Zentralbank until 2017. He attended the 2011 Bilderberg meeting.[1][2]
Education
He did commercial studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Since 1996 he has been an honorary member of the Catholic Student Association Rhaeto-Danubia Vienna.
Career
Rothensteiner began his professional career at the Raiffeisenlandesbank in 1975. In 1991, he joined the Management Board of the food company Agrana. At the same time as his functions at Raiffeisenlandesbank and Agrana, Rothensteiner held a Management Board position at Leipnik-Lundenburger Invest Beteiligungs AG from 1987 to 1995.
In January 1995, Rothensteiner joined the Raiffeisen Zentralbank (RZB); first as deputy chairman of the Board, he was appointed Chairman of the Board and General Director of the RZB after only five months. In addition, Rothensteiner has been Chairman of the Credit and Insurance division of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber since June 1997 and represented the Republic of Singapore as Honorary Consul in Austria.[3]
He was also a member of the General Council of the Austrian National Bank.
RZB grew considerably under his leadership: this is primarily due to the rapid growth of Raiffeisen Bank International, which belongs to the RZB Group, and its expansion in Central and Eastern Europe.
As of July 1, 2012, Rothensteiner succeeded Christian Konrad as Advocate General of the Austrian Raiffeisen Association[4]. Rothensteiner was thus the highest representative and spokesman of the Austrian Raiffeisen cooperatives and chairman of the Austrian Raiffeisen Association. In 2022, Erwin Hameseder was elected as his successor as Advocate General.[5]
Casino affair
After 25 years as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Casinos Austria, Rothensteiner resigned in July 2020 in the course of a bribery affair.[6] The affair was an alleged collusion during the Austrian federal government between politicians of the then ruling parties ÖVP and FPÖ and the gambling group Novomatic.The FPÖ district councilor Peter Sidlo was accordingly appointed to the board of the state-owned Casinos Austria, although he was considered unqualified. In return, politicians from the parties promised to campaign for online gaming licenses and casino licenses as well as the reintroduction of "small gambling" in Vienna.[7]
Rothensteiner was suspected of bribery and economic infidelity. He denied the charges. In December 2024, the public prosecutor (WKStA) closed the investigation against Rothensteiner.[8]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/2011 | 9 June 2011 | 12 June 2011 | Switzerland Hotel Suvretta St. Moritz | 59th meeting, in Switzerland, 129 guests |
References
- ↑ https://www.tagblatt-wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/archiv/76276_Faymann-bei-mysterioesen-Bilderbergern.html
- ↑ https://derstandard.at/1304554144875/Als-Privatperson-Bundeskanzler-Faymann-bei-Bilderberg-Treffen-in-St-Moritz
- ↑ https://investor.rbinternational.com/fileadmin/ir/AGM_2011/CV_Dr._Walter_Rothensteiner_Deutsch__1_.pdf
- ↑ https://archive.today/20130115021516/http://www.wirtschaftsblatt.at/home/oesterreich/branchen/walter-rothensteiner-es-gibt-keine-gruene-krake-523260/index.do?_vl_backlink=/home/index.do&_vl_pos=1.DT
- ↑ https://www.uniqagroup.com/gruppe/versicherung/img/Lebenslauf_Rothensteiner_tcm189-363363.pdf
- ↑ https://kurier.at/politik/inland/casinos-causa-erfasst-ex-finanzminister-loeger/400598252
- ↑ https://kontrast.at/casino-affaere-fpoe-oevp-loeger-sidlo/
- ↑ https://www.profil.at/oesterreich/causa-casinos-ermittlungen-gegen-aufsichtsraete-eingestellt/402975268
