Maybank Singapore CEO is Retail Banker of 2014
KUCHING: Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) head of group community financial services (CFS) and Maybank Singapore’s chief executive officer Datuk Lim Hong Tat has been named the Retail Banker of the Year 2014 by The Asian Banker, a leading provider of strategic business intelligence for the financial services community in Asia which also publishes The Asian Banker Journal since 1997.
The banking group in a press release yesterday said the award was presented in a ceremony held in Sydney, Australia.
Lim is the first Malaysian banker to win the prestigious award.
The financial institution said he joined the ranks of past winners comprising senior bankers from global banks and leading domestic banks operating in the AsiaPacific and Middle East regions selected for the annual award.
According to former vice-chairman and CEO of Singapore-based DBS Bank, Philippe Paillart who chaired the Council of Advisors, they recognised Lim’s achievements in leading Maybank’s retail banking arm towards its 2015 target of becoming the undisputed No.1 retail financial services provider and a formidable regional force.
The advisors were also impressed by the success that he had in building the bank’s greater focus on risk, credit and pricing disciplines while gaining market share in key product portfolios.
When the financial performance of the bank under his leadership was included, his position over and above all other candidates for the Retail Banker of the Year Award was assured.
Commenting on the award, Lim said, “I’m honoured to receive the Retail Banker of the Year Award 2014 from The Asian Banker.
“This award is a tribute to all Maybankers especially in CFS who worked together as a strong team to transform Maybank to be the undisputed No. 1 Retail Financial Services provider in Malaysia by 2015.
“This award also recognises the steady progress and outcome of Maybank’s transformation journey and best practices that had cumulated in Maybank scoring a hattrick with the Best Retail Bank in Malaysia Awards (20122014) from The Asian Banker,” he said.
He added that the biggest challenge for Maybank is to sustain and further improve on its strong performance in a competitive business environment and to undertake the rapid deployment of proven and tested best practices and game changing solutions within the group to harvest the opportunities in the region.
As the head of CFS group, his responsibilities cover leading and driving consumer, retail small and medium enterprises (SME), commercial banking and community banking distribution network across the region with over 1,000 branches and serving more than 16 million customers with a combined deposits and lending book of over US$ 144 billion.
During the same award ceremony, Maybank also won two prestigious awards namely the Best Retail Bank Malaysia Country Award 2014 and the Best Automobile Lending Business Award in 2014 for the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions from The Asian Banker.
Maybank said the Best Retail Bank Malaysia Award is a hattrick for Maybank as it is the third consecutive time since 2012 the bank has won such award each year.
The bank said the award acknowledged the best retail player in Malaysia for consistently excelling in all key performance metric measures.
In the product category for automobile lending, Maybank said it is the third time since 2008 and 2013 that the bank won the award which acknowledged the excellence for automobile lending products and processes launched and implemented during the year.