Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX:CSGN) Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio said he plans a thorough assessment of the bank’s “strategic options” after the twin hits from the collapse of Archegos Capital Management and Greensill Capital eroded confidence. While he backed Chief Executive Officer Thomas Gottstein at the bank’s annual general meeting, the new chairman left little doubt about his appetite for change. The recent missteps at the Swiss lender, he said, went beyond any crises he had lived through over three-and-a-half decades working at banks.“We will take the time required for an in-depth assessment of the bank’s strategic options,” said Horta-Osorio, who succeeded Urs Rohner on April 30, 2021. “Then we will decide on a course of action and closely oversee the execution.”. The comments are the clearest indication yet that the former head of Lloyds Banking Group Plc is planning to take a hands-on approach in his new role. The Portuguese banker, who cut thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in costs during a decade at Lloyds, said he wants to focus on three areas in the coming months, risk management, strategy and culture. During the meeting, both Chief Executive Officer Gottstein and outgoing Chairman Rohner apologised for the recent scandals, with Gottstein saying they’d “left their mark” on him. He pledged to lead the company into “calmer waters.” That came after yet another senior departure, after the bank said risk committee head Andreas Gottschling would be leaving the board. The Chief Executive Officer is battling to rescue his short tenure after Credit Suisse was hit harder than any other competitor by the collapse of Archegos, the family office of U.S. investor Bill Hwang. The timing of the blowup could hardly have been worse, coming just weeks after Credit Suisse found itself at the center of the Greensill Capital scandal, when it was forced to suspend investment funds. Rohner, who had largely deflected shareholder criticism of his role, acknowledged that the recent weeks “cast a shadow” over the bank.