Westend Bank | About our bank, values and management

Today we live in a world in which everything seems measurable - but true value cannot be captured in numbers.

Advisory services built on partnership, passion, and mutual respect, combined with the joint development of individual options, deep trust and genuine understanding – how can this be expressed in numbers?

This is precisely where our understanding of partnership comes in. As a bank owned by the Hopp family, Westend Bank offers you value in the form of customised financing and exclusive family office solutions with a unique beyond-banking model. Our offering therefore combines customised financing solutions with exceptional added value for wealthy families, family offices, companies and decision-makers.

Values defining our actions

Stability

As one of Germany’s most well-capitalized banks, Westend Bank offers you the security that comes with a strong financial partner – backed by a stable equity base, a long-term perspective, and the reliability required for sophisticated decision-making.

Trust

We operate with the utmost discretion and maintain the confidentiality of our business relationships not only for the duration of our collaboration, but also well beyond it.

Reliability

Our due diligence processes and our financial strength form the foundation of every financing arrangement. They ensure the highest level of reliability and enable sustainable decisions across generations.

Continuity

We manage developments over extended periods and anticipate changes in market conditions as well as individual family requirements.

Sustainability

Our corporate actions are guided by clearly defined ESG principles. In doing so, we ensure that capital generates not only an economic impact, but also a social and ecological one – responsibly, sustainably, and across generations.

"Being able to count something is less important than being able to count on something."

Westend Bank's Executive Board

Spokesman for the Executive Board

Thomas Rosenfeld

Thomas Rosenfeld has been Spokesman for Westend Bank's Executive Board since 1 August 2024. His remit includes responsibility for the Market & Customers, Legal Affairs, Human Resources, Strategy and Communications departments. Before joining Westend Bank, he had been a member of the Executive Board of Fürstlich Castell'schen Bank since 2021. Thomas Rosenfeld previously held various management positions at Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), including as a member of the Executive Board of BW Bank and in Asset Management at LBBW. Prior to that, he worked for Deutsche Bank for more than 20 years, most recently as Chairman of the Executive Board of Wealth Management Germany. Thomas Rosenfeld began his professional career at Frankfurter Volksbank and is a banking economist.

Member of the Executive Board

Anita Prattki

Anita Prattki has been a member of Westend Bank AG's Executive Board since February 2022. As the Board member responsible for the back office, she is responsible for the areas of back-office credit, overall bank management, organisation and IT, finance, internal auditing and compliance. Before joining Westend Bank, she was CFO of the German branch of the Norwegian investment bank Pareto Securities AS, which had previously taken over the business operations of equinet Bank AG. As a member of equinet Bank AG's Executive Board, Anita Prattki was responsible for Finance, Controlling, Risk Management, Auditing, Legal Affairs, Compliance, Organisation, Human Resources, IT and Back Office. She previously worked for the listed company Spütz Aktiengesellschaft as Commercial Director. Anita Prattki began her professional career as a businesswoman at the energy company VEBA.

Westend Bank Experts

Senior Account Manager

Christoph Trageser

Christoph Trageser has been Senior Account Manager in Property Development at Westend Bank AG since August 2022. Most recently, he was responsible for the valuation of large-volume commercial properties and development projects as an expert at Wüstenrot Bausparkasse AG. As an authorised signatory and Property Valuation Director, he previously worked around commercial property financing at Peermatch Management GmbH. Christoph Trageser also worked in property valuation at Westdeutsche ImmobilienBank AG and as a credit analyst in the market division. Christoph Trageser began his career with a banking apprenticeship at Dresdner Bank, a degree in business administration from the University of Bayreuth and postgraduate studies to become a certified expert (DIA). Christoph Trageser is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and a HypZert-certified property valuer (F).

Senior Art Expert

Dr. Christina Schroeter-Herrel

Dr Christina Schroeter-Herrel has been a Senior Art Expert in the Art and Value division at Westend Bank since November 2024. Prior to this, the art historian, who holds a Doctorate, worked for the Deutsche Bank Group for over 20 years, where she built up collections, managed art consultancy for clients and was responsible for strategic collaborations and art projects. Dr Christina Schroeter-Herrel publishes regularly, gives lectures and moderates events on topics such as strategies of the art market, art of the 19th–21st century and recent glass art history.

Senior Account Manager

Melih Gültekin

Melih Gültekin has been Senior Credit Officer at Westend Bank since September 2020 and is responsible for analysing, structuring and valuing corporate and real asset financing. With over ten years of experience in the credit business, he has a deep understanding of complex credit structures, risk assessments and regulatory requirements. Before joining Westend Bank, Melih Gültekin worked as a credit analyst at Eurocity Bank for over five years. In this position, he played a key role in supporting corporate, asset-based and syndicated financing. In this role, he gained further expertise in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of credit risks. Melih Gültekin studied Business Administration at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Head of Credit Risk Management

Heike Willms

Heike Willms has been working at Westend Bank since March 2024 and is responsible for the credit back office. After completing her banking training and studying business administration, she gained extensive experience as a credit analyst for medium-sized and large corporate clients and in supporting credit clients at various banks. Heike Willms has had a parallel role as a freelance lecturer for many years and is involved in advanced training for the GenoAkademie in the corporate customer sector and as a lecturer at private universities.