A history of Global Custodian’s Industry Person of the Year award

First introduced in 2017, Global Custodian’s Industry Person of the Year award has become one of the most prestigious individual honours in the securities services industry.  

The accolade fills a space where our other individual awards don’t quite touch, recognising current work and achievements over a 12-month period. Decades of service aren’t required – like they are with our Legends or Lifetime Achievement awards – and neither is it confined to CEOs or the most senior of executives. 

We’re often asked how the four nominees each year are picked and the answer is similar to our other individual awards – a lot of thought goes into it, for a long while! We have living, breathing shortlists over the year where people are added and ranked accordingly, based on conversations and developments. 

The tens of names we have are eventually whittled down to four candidates in the week or two before the event and celebrated via an article on Global Custodian’s website. The winner is decided by a live vote, typically cast by around 300 industry peers attending the awards ceremony on the night. 

The Industry Person of the Year is recognition of someone who has gone above and beyond in their role, while also benefiting the broader industry. Achievements within their organisation, being behind landmark projects or major promotions can play a part in the selection, as can being a voice and thought leader for the industry. Of course, there is the intangible aspect of countless people saying to us ‘this person is fantastic’ which also goes into the model. 

What began as a single accolade presented at the Leaders in Custody awards in London has since expanded into a tri-regional programme, with awards now presented annually in London, Singapore and New York. We tend to keep it fairly regional, though the New York has a focus on fund services as opposed to the broader custody and technology lens of the other two awards. 

Over its history, the award has recognised leaders from global custodians, market infrastructures, fintechs and fund administrators alike – reflecting the breadth and diversity of the securities services industry. 

Custodians have dominated the victories, despite the shortlists being made up of a variety of firms, though New York has seen more of a mix, with two fintechs and a fund administration grabbing the win. In Asia, we’ve only handed out the award twice, with HSBC winning both times. 

So, as we prepare to reveal the four candidates for this year’s award, please find below the winners and nominees from each year. Good luck to all those up for the honour in 2026! 

Please note, the company names indicate where the individual was working at the time of the award, not necessarily their current organisation