Citywealth Leaders List interview: 60 seconds with Anna Zakrzewski, Quintet Private Bank

Date: 12 Mar 2025

Karen Jones

This week’s 60-second piece is dedicated to Anna Zakrzewski, Group Chief Operating Officer at Quintet Private Bank.

Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role

As Group Chief Operating Officer and member of the Authorised Management Committee at Quintet Private Bank, my remit spans from Operations to IT and from Policy, Processes & Projects to Client Lifecycle Management. It also includes our Group Data Office, Change Oversight and Strategic Cost Management. As we operate in more than 30 cities across Europe and the UK, my responsibilities are wide-ranging.

What does a typical day look like for you?

The beauty of my role is that there’s no such thing as a “typical” day!

Most days include meetings with my team to review the status of key projects and overall priorities. That may also include discussions with the Board of Directors or our regulators. I might meet a client advisor with a question or suggestion about how we can make Quintet more collaborative and efficient – generating more time to focus on client needs. Then I may need to take care of an operational issue or spend time in a one-to-one discussion sharing ideas or discussing individual feedback.

While some days are challenging, every day is different and involves spending lots of time with colleagues. That’s often in Luxembourg, where Quintet is headquartered, but I travel frequently to meet with colleagues across Europe and the UK. Understanding the reality and meeting teams on the ground, no matter where they are based, is the only way I can do my job well. It is the people element of my job that I find most energizing.

Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received.

Late on a Friday, during a holiday period, one of our larger clients needed our urgent support with a highly complex and time-sensitive transaction. Meeting the client’s needs meant drawing upon the expertise of colleagues from front to back, including Operations, Compliance and other departments.

Again, it was just before the weekend and most colleagues were already away for the holidays. And the clock was ticking.

Everyone came together in such a wonderful way – from the office, via Teams, any way they could – and we delivered together: Quintet teamwork at its best. The client was very appreciative. It’s moments like that I’ll always cherish and that make a difference.

What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?

The overriding challenge they face is how to preserve, grow and pass on their wealth to the next generation. While they often have technical questions about investment or inheritance strategies, for example, their underlying concerns are generally not technical at all but emotional and personal.

They seek an advisor, a partner they can trust, who takes the time to understand their unique aspirations for themselves and their family. That’s why we’re here and what makes our work so rewarding.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

It may sound clichéd, but I first have to say that anything I have achieved is because I have done so with the support of a team of colleagues. Teamwork is unquestionably one of the keys to growth.

Since joining Quintet 18 months ago, I am especially proud of how we have brought our COO organization together – moving from a heterogeneous to a more homogenous organization. We have broken down many of the artificial barriers and geographic silos that earlier too often separated members of the team; we brought colleagues much closer together and will continue to do so. That makes us far more efficient and impactful as a team. It also makes work more rewarding for everyone to be part of what we call “One Quintet.”

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

Clarity of vision and the ability to communicate in a way that resonates. Being a good listener. Providing clear direction, then empowering others to contribute. Humility and self-awareness, including awareness that success is always a team effort. Having a sense of humor isn’t bad, either!

Who do you most admire and why?

My grandmother Maria Anna, who passed away eight years ago at the age of 92.

My grandmother – who was born in Germany and later lived in Poland and Australia – was a brilliant lawyer, the mother of three children and the sweetest person you could imagine. She was also as tough as nails when that was required, including in the courtroom. She lived and worked through World War II but never lost her sense of optimism. She was one of the smartest people I have ever known; she never stopped learning yet remained supremely humble with a big heart.

I count myself very lucky that she was an important part of my life for so long.

Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?

For work, I am often at one of our offices outside Luxembourg – that could be Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich or London, for example. Outside of work, I rarely travel to cities.

I love the water and especially the ocean. The sea is wild and unpredictable, always moving but also extremely soothing. Waves to me are like music.

The last few trips I have taken for pleasure have been to remote islands and laidback places, where I have been able to disconnect (a little!) and reconnect with the world around me in all its quiet splendor where nature is still intact.

If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?

I didn’t start my career with a plan to work in private banking. One of my early roles introduced me to the industry; I immediately saw the appeal of this very client-centric business and have never looked back. Private banking can be compared in some ways to the luxury goods industry: it’s all about the client.

If my life had taken a different path, I might have been a photographer or perhaps worked in interior design or fashion as I’m a creative person. But who knows? As John Lennon sang: “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”

How do you relax after a long day?

It depends how long the day was!

If I am up to it, taking a long walk in the fresh air helps me clear my mind. Physical exercise helps me “power down” and take some distance from day-to-day preoccupations.

If just thinking about exercise makes me even more exhausted, then I head home, take a long bath, spend time in meaningful conversation and get a good night’s rest. If I am travelling, then I will certainly call home in the evening to say hello.

Either way, I can start the next day – which will hopefully not be quite as long! – full of positive energy to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.