Societe Generale revamps innovation and IT

Carlos Gonçalves is a history of IT at Societe Generale. He is now on the way out. The group CIO since June 2022 – after several years in particular as CTO of the French bank – “will pursue new professional projects.”

And for this he leaves the group and leaves a vacancy. However, his successor has already been appointed, the company announces in a press release. It is Bruno Delas who has been holding the position of Group Chief Information Officer since September 16th.

Objectives pooling, safety and efficiency

The former boss of the ITIM entity (Innovation, Technologies & IT) will also continue to sit on the management committee of Societe Generale. As such, he will be able to present directly to the other members of the Comex “the transversal axes of the IT strategy.”

The development and management of these components constitute the main mission of Bruno Delas. The new Group CIO, reporting to Laura Mather, the Director of operations, also has as priorities the definition of “standards and policies” aimed at promoting mutualization, strengthening security and operational efficiency of platforms.

To succeed Bruno Delas as Head of Innovation, Technologies & IT at Societe Generale, the bank announces the appointment of Laurent Stricher. It should be noted that the latter will retain in parallel his position of CIO of the SG retail Banking Network.

At the hierarchical level, Laurent Stricher reports to Philippe Aymerich, the deputy chief executive officer of the French financial group, who has also just presented his new strategic plan (2026).

AI, Data and digital sobriety at the service of the strategic plan

The 2026 plan sets two main orientations: to be a robust bank and to promote efficient and sustainable activities. Societe Generale’s objectives are to simplify its portfolio of activities, improve its operational efficiency and become an ESG leader.

The group’s IT and digital strategy will therefore have to serve these ambitions, in particular through the accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence and the exploitation of data, in particular ESG, or initiatives in favor of digital sobriety.

First actions in this direction have been taken. At the beginning of the year, alongside the Banque des Territoires, the bank joined the capital of namR, a specialist in B2B uses of data for the energy transition.

Since 2019, Societe Generale has been piloting a cross-cutting “Green IS” program aimed in particular at reducing digital CO2 emissions by 50% by 2025. To achieve this, the company has notably developed its own C02 calculator. It also trains 25,000 IT employees on responsible digital issues.