Media releases

Westpac strengthens capability in Asia with key new appointments

 

15 May 2013 

Westpac Institutional Bank has strengthened its capability in Asia with a range of senior executive appointments which includes David Koh as Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking, Asia.

David will be based in Singapore and will join Westpac’s leadership team in Asia, reporting to both Bala Swaminathan, General Manager, Asia, and Andrew McDonald, General Manager of Corporate and Institutional Banking.

“Attracting a senior executive with David's breadth of experience is testament to the strong reputation we are building in Asia,” Mr Swaminathan said.

“His proven track record in growing relationships will help ensure that Westpac continues the great customer momentum we have established in the region,” he said.

Mr Koh previously worked at JP Morgan where he was Managing Director, Treasury Services for Greater China, leading a team of 250 people across nine branches. Prior to this, he worked for Deutsche Bank in Shanghai and was at HSBC earlier in his career.

“David has lived and worked in China, the US, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. His breadth of regional expertise includes leading large teams across corporate relationship banking, transactional, trade, treasury and security services,” Mr Swaminathan said.

Westpac’s Asian growth strategy will be further complemented by two other senior executive appointments, with Paul Gardner named as Global Head of Westpac’s Structured Commodity Finance business and Andrew Billing as Head of Asian Institutional FX sales.

Paul was most recently Managing Director, Regional Head of Structured Trade and Export Finance, Deutsche Bank and Andrew was Head of FX Sales, Institutional Client Group, Deutsche Bank, Australasia.

“These appointments reflect Westpac’s deliberate strategy of focussing on the increasing trade, capital and people flows, expanding our capability and building our deep relationships with customers by offering them  local expertise and the strengths of  the number one institutional bank in Australasia,” Mr Swaminathan said.

Westpac has been operating in Asia for 40 years. In Asia, Westpac delivers a broad range of financial services to individuals, corporate and institutional customers with branches in Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai and a representative office in Jakarta.