Michele Wee was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Standard Chartered Bank Viet Nam . — Photo courtesy of the bank

Standard Chartered Bank on Monday announced the appointment of Michele Wee as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Viet Nam, effective February 1, 2021. She will report to Patrick Lee, Cluster CEO, Singapore and ASEAN Markets (Malaysia, Viet Nam, Thailand and Rep Offices).

A seasoned banker with over 25 years' industry experience, Michele joined Standard Chartered in 2011 as Global Head of E-commerce Sales to build an e-commerce business distribution channel for the Bank’s Financial Markets (FM) clients. Prior to her appointment as CEO of Viet Nam, she was the Head of FM for Singapore, Australia, and Brunei, in which she was responsible for the development and execution of these markets’ FM strategy.

“Viet Nam is an important market to our global network with significant opportunities to develop our businesses with universal banking capabilities. My key focus will be on providing valuable support and benefits to our clients, regulators and the communities, building on our unrivalled local knowledge and international expertise,” Michele said.

“Despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Viet Nam continues to offer exciting business and investment opportunities given its strong fundamentals of a young, dynamic and tech-savvy population, a growing domestic market, a rising middle class and an open economy. The country has been an investment magnet for many years and holds great growth potential for the future. I look forward to working with my Viet Nam team and relevant stakeholders to support Viet Nam’s sustainable development,” she said.

Michele takes over the reins from Nirukt Sapru who was appointed as CEO for Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia in 2013, and in 2015, took on the expanded role as the regional CEO for ASEAN and South Asia cluster markets including Australia, Brunei, Nepal, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Under his leadership, Standard Chartered Vietnam has recorded strong growth in all business segments and made valuable contributions to Viet Nam’s economic development process.

Standard Chartered is one of the first international banks to establish a presence in Viet Nam, having set up its first branch in Saigon, now HCM City, in 1904. — VNS