Berard’s Challenges at ABN Only Begin With Learning Dutch (1)

Marguerite Berard had everything an ambitious executive could wish for at her high-profile job overseeing French commercial and personal banking at BNP Paribas SA — except a clear path to the top.

The abrupt resignation by ABN Amro Bank NV Chief Executive Officer Robert Swaak, a few months after she left her former employer, now affords her an unexpected opportunity to fulfill her ambition of running a major lender.

“Marguerite is a bold woman,” said Maurice Levy, emeritus chairman of Publicis Groupe, who’s known her since she worked for the government in Paris two decades ago. “Many would have ...