Significant personnel changes have taken place in the Ukrainian banking sector, which over recent weeks has found itself at the center of attention for law enforcement agencies and the government. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing the official website of Sense Bank, a new independent member has joined the bank's supervisory board — Peter Novak, a specialist with over 25 years of experience in information technology, operations, and banking management. The appointment was made against the backdrop of the high-profile corruption investigation by NABU and Cabinet of Ministers decisions to terminate the powers of several individuals involved in the bank's management.
New Independent Member of the Supervisory Board
According to an official statement from Sense Bank, Peter Novak was included in the supervisory board as an independent member. The bank emphasized that his international banking experience is intended to strengthen the work of the supervisory board and contribute to the further development of corporate governance. The institution separately noted that this step should help prepare Sense Bank for a future privatization, indicating a strategic rather than merely formal purpose for the appointments.
Peter Novak's Career in the European Banking Sector
According to the bank's statement, the new board member's profile was shaped primarily in the Slovak and broader European banking sector. In 2007–2010, Novak held the positions of board member, Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Tatra Banka in Slovakia. In 2011–2014, he worked as Managing Director at Raiffeisen Bank International in Vienna, where he was responsible for international operations and IT, and also served on the supervisory boards of Raiffeisen group banks in the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary. He later returned to the Slovak sector: in 2014–2019 he was Chief Operating Officer of VUB Banka, and from 2019 to 2023 he served as CIO at Prima Banka.
Context: Personnel Changes and the NABU Investigation
Novak's appointment came amid a sharp turnover in the management team. By a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers adopted on August 22, Nikolai Gladishenko ceased to hold the powers of a member of the bank's supervisory board. In parallel, the government initiated the removal of Sense Bank's Chairman of the Board, Alexey Stupak. On August 25, Stupak appeared in court as part of the NABU corruption investigation known as "Forrest Gump." Thus, the renewal of the supervisory board is taking place simultaneously with criminal procedural actions against the bank's current management.
Contradictory Data
When comparing the bank's initial statement with media publications, minor discrepancies in dates and wording are noted. In the text of the statement on personnel changes, the Cabinet of Ministers' decision to terminate Nikolai Gladishenko's powers is dated August 22, whereas a number of publications covering the government's decision publish the corresponding materials with a date of August 21, 2026. In addition, in some headlines Gladishenko is referred to as the "head of the supervisory board," while in the bank's statement he is listed as a "member of the supervisory board." These discrepancies do not affect the main fact — the appointment of Peter Novak and the court proceedings against Alexey Stupak — but require clarification during further verification.
Taken as a whole, the personnel changes at Sense Bank reflect the bank's attempt to demonstrate a course toward strengthening corporate governance and preparing for privatization amid heightened external pressure from regulators and law enforcement agencies. The outcome of the court proceedings under the "Forrest Gump" investigation and the government's further decisions regarding the bank's management will remain key factors in assessing the institution's stability in the coming months.
