CIMB Group had on Jan 22 appointed Paul Wong Chee Kin as president & CEO of CIMB Thai with effect from Feb 1.
Wong succeeds acting president & CEO Sutee Losoponkul who has been holding that role since September 2020 following the departure of the previous CEO Adisorn Sermchaiwong.
Sutee will nevertheless remain with CIMB Thai by assuming the role of advisor to the president & CEO up to Dec 31 this year. Both Wong’s and Sutee’s appointments have received approval from the Bank of Thailand.
Wong is currently CIMB’s group chief operations officer, overseeing activities across functions in the areas of payments and digitalisation as well as strategy, customer delivery and process improvements.
With more than 25 years of experience in banking and finance in ASEAN, Wong brings with him deep insight and knowledge of the industry and region.
Paul started his career at CIMB Group in 2007 as senior vice-president (head of sales management – consumer sales & distribution) of CIMB Bank Bhd and has been assigned to various positions within the Group including stints in the Philippines and Singapore.
He has a strong track record in strategic projects regionally, in digitalisation and transformation, and brings in-depth functional experience in operations, having successfully led and transformed group operations.
Wong also served on the board of directors for Principal Asset Management Bhd. Prior to CIMB, he served in various capacities in several financial institutions in both Malaysia and Singapore.
CIMB Group chairman Datuk Mohd Nasir Ahmad described Wong as a proven senior talent in CIMB by having served in various capacities across the group for 13.
“Thailand is a strategic market for CIMB as we work towards our vision to be the leading focused ASEAN bank,” Mohd Nasir pointed out.
“His (Wong’s) extensive industry and management experience will be instrumental in driving our ambitions and plans to build an even stronger and sustainable CIMB franchise for the benefit of our clients.”
CIMB is one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups and Malaysia’s second largest financial services provider by assets. Listed on Bursa Malaysia via CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, it boasts a market capitalisation of about RM42.7 bil as of Dec 31, 2020.
Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the group is present in all 10 ASEAN nations (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Philippines). Beyond ASEAN, the Group has market presence in China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, the US and UK. – Jan 25, 2020
