William Connelly To Succeed Lorenzo Smaghi As Société Générale Chairman

Société Générale has appointed William Connelly as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective May 2026, pending his renewal as a Director at the general meeting on May 20, 2025.

Connelly will succeed Lorenzo Smaghi, who has held the position since 2015. Smaghi’s mandate, which expires in 2026, cannot be extended without him losing his independent status.

Connelly held senior roles at Barings and ING Barings, including Head of Mergers and Acquisitions in Spain and later Head of Corporate Finance for Western Europe. He worked at ING Bank, serving as Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking and CEO of ING Real Estate B.V. Connelly also holds leadership positions in several foreign-listed companies, including Chairman of Aegon Ltd (Bermuda) since 2018 and Chairman of Amadeus IT Group (Spain) since 2021. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. He started his banking career at Chase Manhattan Bank, working across the US, Spain, and the UK from 1980 to 1990.