Elham Ettehadieh, Executive Board member of Partner Bank AG, found her passion for the world of securities very early: “From a very young age, I was made aware of the importance of investments and the monetary economy,” says the Executive of Partner Bank AG. Thus, the Upper Austrian completed her studies in economics, and – despite time spent abroad in London and China – always kept Linz in her mind, particularly since Partner Bank, a private bank focussing on investment and asset management, is based in the industrial city: “I just love Upper Austria. And in terms of Europe-wide connections, particularly in the economic and industrial sectors, Linz is an incredibly dynamic hub.”

Partner Bank was created in 1992 by Faramarz Ettehadieh, Ettehadieh’s father. The fact that Partner Bank is so young has its advantages, as Ettehadieh emphasises: “Sometimes, the long history of a credit institution can cause it to become static, making essential changes difficult to put into effect. We aren’t carrying any old debts, so to speak. Instead, we follow and implement current trends from the very start.”

Today she sits on the Board of the bank with Andreas Fellner and her sister Sarvenas Enayati. Ettehadieh believes that their individual expertise complement each other: “Andreas started out in the IT sector and has been with us from the very beginning. Sarvenas covers legal, compliance and organisational development issues. She also brings a great deal of creativity to us and works on developing strong synergies. Thus her portfolio has a unique mix. And I am responsible for securities and wealth management.”

Elham Ettehadieh
... has been with Partner Bank since 2006 and joined the Board in 2013.

When Ettehadieh speaks of future-oriented trends, she is referring primarily to the ongoing digitalisation which can also be seen playing out in the financial sector. The deep integration of fintech solutions from the very beginning is reflected in the company’s philosophy. Fully in the spirit of the dynamism and manoeuvrability of the digital age, Partner Bank’s unique structure is based on flexibility: Centred on an innovative banking house with around 50 employees in Linz, its network of around 500 financial advisors extends beyond Austria into Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia. Within this broad array of countries, there are also differences in the investment preferences of the inhabitants: “The Eastern European countries in which we work show a strong interest and a natural intuition for investing in shares. The German-speaking areas still prefer traditional products such as gold and are generally more cautious.”

This requires pioneering and educational work, which is also key for Ettehadieh: “I set great personal store in showing people that investing is not a massively complicated elite affair. The instruments involved may appear complicated. However, once you understand the principles behind them and gather the right ingredients, investing in the future becomes easily achievable. Partner Bank opens this door. For I firmly believe that every single person, regardless of their background, can achieve their own type of prosperity”, explains Ettehadieh. In addition to clients from the upper middle class, to whom Partner Bank provides exclusive investment opportunities in prestigious companies, they also consciously appeal to young people and those with smaller capital: This is why investing through Partner Bank in high-value baskets of shares is possible from monthly € 100  upwards. Thus, Ettehadieh is bringing her vision for the future a step closer: securities for all.

Photo: Gianmaria Gava