(5 September 2025 – Hong Kong) Hang Seng Bank has appointed Luanne Lim as executive director and chief executive, effective October 2025.
Lim, currently CEO of HSBC Hong Kong, has led the bank’s operations there for the past four years.
She succeeds Diana Cesar, who will return to HSBC as vice chairman, Hong Kong, advising the group’s Asia and Middle East co-CEOs.
The leadership change comes as Hang Seng faces profitability pressures. The bank reported credit losses of HK$4.86 billion in the first half of 2025, up from HK$1.5 billion a year earlier, largely linked to Hong Kong’s real estate sector. S&P Global Ratings expects losses to rise further but noted they remain “manageable” given the bank’s pre-impairment profitability.
Board chairman Edward Cheng thanked Cesar for her leadership, saying she had “successfully future-proofed the business to enable sustainable growth… whilst maintaining a very healthy capital position.” The board also welcomed Lim, expressing confidence in her leadership.