The General Directorate of BancaStato is strengthened with a new arrival at the top. At the beginning of March 2026, the cantonal institution welcomed Esa Battaglia, appointed to assume responsibility for the Risk Area. This appointment completes the management structure outlined by the Board of Directors and aims to consolidate the bank's ability to navigate an increasingly complex financial environment.
The manager takes over from Norman Stampanoni, who led the area on an interim basis until early March. With his arrival, the institute's leadership structure has been definitively stabilized following some recent organizational changes, including the creation of the Legal and Compliance Department in recent months.
A career path between auditing and private banking
Esa Battaglia's background is defined by extensive experience in auditing and control in the international financial sector. She graduated in Economics from the University of Italian Switzerland in 2004 and began her career in external auditing, first at Ernst & Young and then at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Lugano, where she worked from 2006 to 2008 and earned a federal chartered accountant diploma.
In 2008, she joined the Julius Baer Group in the Internal Audit function. Over the years, she held roles of increasing responsibility until her appointment as Executive Director in the Group Internal Audit division in 2017. In this position, she coordinated audit teams and reported directly to the function's top management at the group level.
In her role, she served as a senior executive auditor for private banking and for several of the institution's international offices, with activities spanning Europe, Russia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Between 2022 and 2023, she also managed credit activities and investment and wealth management solutions, with responsibility for governance, strategy, and risk management.
At the same time, she assumed overall leadership of internal audit for several of the group's entities, including those based in Monaco, Dubai, and Milan, participating in local risk committees and liaising with supervisory authorities. This experience allowed her to develop an in-depth understanding of the main banking risk areas and international regulatory dynamics.
A strengthening of governance
According to the Board of Directors, Battaglia's experience in complex and multicultural environments represents a key element in supporting the institution's strategy in the years to come. The banking sector is undergoing significant transformation, characterized by new regulatory requirements, technological innovation, and shifting business models.
In this scenario, risk management is taking on an increasingly central role in the governance of financial institutions. The goal is to ensure operational solidity and continuity of management, while maintaining high standards of control and transparency.
The composition of the General Directorate
With the arrival of the new Head of Risk Management, BancaStato's General Management now consists of seven members.
Fabrizio Cieslakiewicz, President of the General Management, continues to lead the institute. He is joined by Vice President Curzio De Gottardi, Head of Products and Services.
The team is completed by Michele Andina for the Retail and Corporate Area, Glenda Brändli for the Finance Area, the lawyer Marco Galli for the Legal and Compliance Area, Nicola Guscetti for Private Banking and external asset managers, and finally Esa Battaglia at the head of the Risk Area.
