ZURICH: Credit Suisse has carved out a new role to lead its handling of sexual harassment claims and examine group-wide policies, as Switzerland’s second-biggest bank seeks to boost equal opportunities and create a fair treatment environment.

The appointment of Antoinette Poschung to the new role of Conduct and Ethics Ombudswoman comes after Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam tasked the bank’s conduct and ethics board to review the bank’s handling of sexual harassment complaints.

In particular, Thiam in March vowed a “thorough review” of the bank’s handling of a former employee’s sexual harassment case, related to a 2010 incident the woman said had been mishandled under previous management.

That case will be further reviewed by Poschung.

“A few months ago, I had asked Lara Warner, Peter Goerke and Romeo Cerutti to review our global approach to the handling of claims of sexual harassment at Credit Suisse,” Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam said in an internal memo seen by Reuters, referring to the co-chairs of the bank’s conduct and ethics board and its general counsel.—Reuters