Standard Chartered Bank has appointed Olga Zoutendijk as head of wholesale banking for Asia. Zoutendijk initially will be based in Singapore and will be relocated in Hong Kong from early next year.
The position has been newly created as a result of continued strong growth in the wholesale banking business, and in order to bring more senior executive focus to the bank’s long-term strategy for the region, Standard Chartered Bank said in a statement.
Zoutendijk’s focus will be on assessing the competitive environment and evaluating acquisition and alliance opportunities across Asia, an area of key strategic focus for the bank. In addition, she will work closely with the bank’s client relationship team in representing the bank to major clients across the region to further broaden and deepen corporate and institutional client relationships.
Zoutendijk brings with her more than 20 years of banking experience with ABN Amro Bank N.V., and most recently Westpac Banking Corporation, where she was group general manager of corporate and institutional banking.
“I am delighted to welcome someone of Olga’s calibre and experience to our senior executive team,” says Mike Rees, CEO of the Wholesale Bank at Standard Chartered. “The competitive landscape for wholesale banking is very fluid and dynamic and we need to strengthen our ability to accurately and quickly identify strategic opportunities to embed competitive advantage in our key markets. Olga’s global experience means she is ideally placed to drive this for the bank.”