Banking On Diversity

Regional Head of HSBC Private Banking in Asia-Pacific Siew Meng Tan discusses how the bank promotes gender diversity within the company and supports female entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Q: You joined HSBC 14 years ago—from starting out in corporate banking in Singapore to taking on the CEO role in Mauritius and Thailand, and now you’re the Regional Head of HSBC Private Banking in Asia-Pacific. What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered in taking up a leadership role in the highly competitive finance industry?

It’s no secret that the finance industry is traditionally male-dominated, so there have been times in my career where I’ve had to work very hard on being visible and ensuring my voice is heard. The way I look at it, I always pursue roles that I enjoy so it makes it easier to transition from one position to another. Having the right drive and confidence has helped me to put myself forward and speak up. Rather than seeing them as a challenge, I look at every new assignment as a great learning experience. For example, moving from Singapore, known for having comprehensive regulations versus other countries that may be less so, I had to navigate through that as well as learn how to deal with different people from different cultures so it taught me a lot. In those roles—be it in Hong Kong, Mauritius, Singapore or Thailand—the common thread has been the opportunity for me to interact with clients to understand their businesses and needs in order to serve them better.

Why is gender diversity important in business? How does it benefit your clients?

Having led teams for a long time, I found that when you work with diverse teams— be it gender, nationality or background—you’re going to get more creative ideas and different perspectives in looking at things. And when your business is about finding solutions, diversity becomes even more important.