Hong Kong Exchange finding it tough to recruit new CEO
Dealing with assertive mainland China adds element of uncertainty to role
In a Hong Kong transformed by China's crackdown on everything from political dissent, to the media and judiciary, picking a new top boss for the financial hub's stock exchange is proving difficult.
Charles Li announced his intention to quit as head of the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. more than a year before his contract ended amid strained relations with chairman Laura Cha, according to people familiar with the matter. Cha was put off by his freewheeling style, which led him to sometimes not inform the board of important issues at an early stage, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.
More than seven months later and days before Li formally steps down on Dec. 31, the committee has yet to settle on a permanent replacement. It's split between prioritizing a candidate who can operate with confidence in China or one with a strong international background, the people said. Cha, who's well connected in China and close to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, sees the bourse's role as serving Beijing's interests and avoiding competition with the mainland's exchanges, one of the people said.
Li had seemed to thread the needle, credited with both internationalizing the exchange as well as building a bridge to China's markets. Still, the former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker was eventually seen as too outspoken and his aggressive — and failed — 29.6 billion-pound (US$40 billion) bid for the London Stock Exchange dented his standing.
He was forced to apologize last year after saying civil unrest in Hong Kong had exposed faults underlying the “one country two systems” framework for its return to Chinese rule. He said he had been misinterpreted.
In an interview with Bloomberg this month, Li said the CEO'S job is all about “steering conflict” both in Hong Kong and on the mainland, but also one that entails taking risks.
His successor at the city's flagship financial institution will need to contend with an increasingly assertive Beijing while upholding the confidence of global investors at a time when Hong Kong's status as an international hub is in doubt. The next boss will also need to consider whether to match Li's style as de-facto spokesman for the financial industry or take a more subdued approach, leaving the city's most important sector without a cheerleader-in-chief.
Candidates being considered include Liu Che-ning, co-head of Asia-pacific banking at HSBC Holdings Plc, as well as the HKEX'S interim CEO and chief operating officer Calvin Tai. Mark Machin, CEO of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Philip Zhai, former Jpmorgan Chase & Co. banker, have also been discussed, as has Wilfred Yiu, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker who joined the exchange as head of markets in 2019, people familiar said.
Liu, Machin, Zhai and Yiu all declined to comment while Tai wasn't immediately available.
Machin and Zhai remain committed to their current jobs, according to the people.
Dubbed “Mr. China” for linking the bourse closer to the mainland and helping open doors for foreign investors, Li is a tough act to follow. The exchange's revenue doubled during his tenure and its stock has surged ahead of the broader market, earning him further plaudits.
Part of the schism with Cha stems from Li being publicly credited for the landmark deal connecting trading between Hong Kong and the exchanges of Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Li likes to tell the story of how he sketched out the link on a napkin during lunch with the head of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
The Stock Connect enabled investors to buy and sell onshore Chinese stocks and bonds using Hong Kong's infrastructure, which helped global index providers to include Chinese securities in their gauges, driving hundreds of billions of dollars into the market.
Cha, a former vice chairman of China Securities Regulatory Commission, thinks that Li has been given too much credit for the agreement, which now accounts for 10 per cent of the bourse's revenue, said the people. As of late, Cha has asserted more control, putting in place checks and balances for senior management, according to one of the people. For example, department heads are now vetted by a board committee as well as by the CEO, another person said.
Li's resignation has shaken up the senior ranks at HKEX, with several executives exiting. Recent departures include Head of Market Development Li Gang and some of his team, which was responsible for developing new products, said the people. General Counsel Ferheen Mahomed and Head of Human Resources Eva Chau, both were on the management committee, have also left in recent months.
Still, Cha was full of praise for Li at his farewell celebration earlier this month. “During his time, he has transformed HKEX from a regional exchange to now one of the primary international market infrastructure groups. We are very proud of his achievements,” Cha said in the speech.
Li's major setback, however, was the failed attempt to take over the LSE last year following its acquisition of the London Metal Exchange in 2012. That debacle dented appetite for making the bourse more of a global institution, which was one of the four targets he set for this tenure, a person said.
That's tied the HKEX more closely to China, with its success in drawing listings of major Chinese companies this year becoming one of the few bright spots for a city roiled by the coronavirus pandemic and a crackdown following the imposition by Beijing of a new national security law.
Hong Kong is suffering through a deep recession triggered by civil unrest and the fallout of the pandemic.
Tightening links further with the mainland is now the “irreversible” path for the bourse, Li said in the interview this month.
Li this month offered some thoughts on what the job it takes as he heads out the door.
One needs to be “strategically absolutely confident, but technically be humble,” he said.
There's a kind of “different operating logic” in China, Li said. “In terms of people relations it's very emphasizing on the relations. Certain things can be done easier if the relationship is stronger.”
Strategically absolutely confident, but technically be humble.