Walt Bettinger, the 47-year-old president and COO of Charles Schwab Corp., will succeed the company’s founder and chairman, Charles R. Schwab, as CEO of the company effective Oct. 1. Bettinger had been seen as the likely successor to Charles Schwab, 70, since he was named to his current position in February 2007.
Bettinger joined Charles Schwab after the company acquired in 1995 the retirement plan services firm he founded, The Hampton Company. In a statement announcing the promotion, Charles Schwab, who will retain the position of chairman, pledged that “I will continue to serve as a very active chairman and look forward to continuing the strong partnership that Walt and I have developed.”