DBS Group Holdings has managed to lure veteran banker Han Kwee Juan to be its new group head of strategy and planning. He will be joining the bank in April. In this role, Han will report to CEO Piyush Gupta and become a member of the group management committee.

 

Han joins DBS from Citi after a 27-year career at the US bank, leading various businesses including consumer banking, corporate banking and transaction banking. He was most recently CEO of Citi Singapore, a position he has held since 2012. In this role, he had oversight of Citi’s onshore retail banking, wealth management, cards and personal loans, mortgage and retail SME businesses in Singapore.

 

At DBS, Han will occupy the role previously held by Shee Tse Koon who became DBS country head for Singapore in December. The newer appointments were in line with DBS’ commitment to people development.

 

Over at Standard Chartered, the bank announced the appointment of Chow Wan Thonh as head of global banking in Singapore. She will also join Standard Chartered’s Singapore country management team.

 

Chow has over 25 years of banking experience and has held a number of leadership roles, developing and driving business across transaction banking, capital markets and strategic advisory for corporate and institutional clients. She moved to Standard Chartered from HSBC, where she was head of global banking for Singapore, and head of corporates, financials and multinational banking for Southeast Asia.

 

Chow takes over from Patrick Lee who became CEO of the bank’s Singapore franchise in July 2018 while continuing to head the global banking business before a successor is named.

 

In her role as head of global banking for Singapore, Chow will be responsible for driving and executing the strategy for the business and deepening relationships with the bank’s corporate and institutional clients in the city-state to maximize business growth opportunities and enhance client experience.

 

Meanwhile, MUFG has deepened its global corporate business in Vietnam with the appointment of Calvin Nguyen as director and head of global corporate banking in the country. Nguyen, who joined the bank on February 14, will be responsible for the coverage of local and global corporate clients in the country.

 

A career banker with 22 years of experience in both corporate and commercial banking, specifically in the large corporate, middle market and business banking portfolios, Nguyen was the country head for global banking at Vietnam International Bank before joining MUFG.

 

During his career, Nguyen has held senior positions at various international banks, helping set up the commercial and business banking division of Hong Leong Bank in Vietnam in 2016-2017. He also worked at HSBC (2014-2016), ANZ (2010-2014) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (2008-2010).

 

MUFG has been present in Vietnam for 25 years. In December 2012, the bank formed a strategic alliance with Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank), the second largest listed bank in Vietnam, paving the way for collaborative synergies between the two banks.