At the recent Software Production & Sustainability event, Dr. Hans-Jürgen Plewan, CIO of DekaBank, delivered an inspiring masterclass shedding light on how sustainability integrates into the IT strategies of modern financial institutions. DekaBank, a key player in asset management and a pillar of Germany's Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, has been embedding sustainability deeply into its operational and strategic frameworks. Dr. Plewan’s talk provided a roadmap for how IT can become a catalyst for sustainable transformation.
Dr. Plewan emphasized the dual role IT plays in sustainability. First, IT acts as an enabler, supporting the broader sustainability goals of the bank. This includes building data architectures to manage ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) data and facilitating the development of sustainable financial products. For example, DekaBank’s IT team is constructing a centralized ESG data platform to eliminate silos and ensure transparency in sustainable investment initiatives.
The second role focuses inward, addressing IT’s own sustainability footprint. From energy-efficient architectures to sustainable software development practices, DekaBank’s IT strategy is evolving to minimize environmental impact. This shift, according to Dr. Plewan, involves a new set of priorities, including measuring energy consumption at the application level, adopting certified green data centers, and reducing the CO₂ footprint of IT processes.
A significant theme in the presentation was the intersection of digital transformation and sustainability. For DekaBank, modernization efforts, such as migrating legacy systems to cloud-native architectures, are directly tied to sustainability goals. Dr. Plewan noted that cloud migration not only improves operational efficiency but also reduces energy consumption, aligning with the bank’s commitment to sustainability.
He highlighted a key point: sustainability is not an entirely new domain for IT but often an extension of existing digital transformation initiatives. Whether optimizing IT processes or modernizing software architectures, many activities naturally align with sustainable practices when viewed through the lens of energy efficiency and resource optimization.
Dr. Plewan also stressed the importance of culture in driving sustainable IT. Diversity, leadership, and agile collaboration are critical pillars of DekaBank’s IT transformation. He shared a compelling anecdote about a recent meeting with new hires, illustrating the bank’s diverse and inclusive culture. This cultural shift, he argued, is essential not only for attracting top talent but also for fostering a mindset that prioritizes long-term sustainability over short-term gains.
One standout example of cultural transformation is DekaBank’s comprehensive program to modernize project management approaches. By emphasizing collaboration between IT and business units, the bank ensures that sustainability is a shared responsibility, embedded across teams and processes.
To make sustainability actionable, DekaBank is systematically embedding it into its IT strategy. Dr. Plewan outlined how the bank is developing clear metrics and dashboards to measure and manage sustainability goals. For instance, just as DekaBank tracks IT security metrics to ensure swift vulnerability management, it plans to establish similar metrics for sustainability, such as the CO₂ footprint of project teams or energy consumption of individual applications.
Dr. Plewan acknowledged that this journey is still in its early stages and fraught with challenges. However, he expressed confidence that structured approaches and a commitment to measurable outcomes would drive meaningful progress.
Dr. Plewan’s presentation offered several actionable insights for IT leaders navigating the sustainability landscape:
Dr. Plewan’s insights highlight a pivotal moment for IT in the financial sector. As sustainability becomes a non-negotiable element of business strategy, IT leaders must step up to drive transformation. At DekaBank, the integration of sustainability into IT strategy is not just a technical challenge—it’s a cultural and operational shift that promises to redefine the role of IT in creating a sustainable future.
For IT leaders worldwide, Dr. Plewan’s roadmap offers a compelling blueprint for embracing sustainability as a strategic imperative.
The Software Excellence Network is a community dedicated to empowering IT leaders with cutting-edge insights, strategies, and best practices for mastering software production and innovation. Through events, masterclasses, and exclusive content, the network fosters collaboration among top executives, driving excellence and sustainability in the ever-evolving software landscape.
