UOB names Tan Choon Hin to new Asean, Greater China role

[SINGAPORE] UOB has appointed Tan Choon Hin as its head of Asean and Greater China, a new senior role aimed at driving growth from increasing cross-border flows between the two regions.

Tan, currently the bank’s deputy chief risk officer, will take on the role on Sep 1, UOB said on Tuesday (Aug 18).

He will oversee UOB’s regional businesses across seven markets, including its subsidiaries in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and mainland China, as well as its branches in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Working with the respective country chief executives and management teams, Tan will be tasked with strengthening collaboration across the lender’s regional businesses and accelerating cross-border and revenue opportunities, UOB said.

The appointment comes as UOB seeks to deepen connectivity between its Asean and Greater China franchises amid growing trade, investment and wealth flows, as well as continued supply-chain shifts into South-east Asia.

Tan will also oversee UOB’s foreign direct investment (FDI) advisory unit, which helps companies expand across borders by connecting them with ecosystem partners and industry networks.

The unit has supported more than 300 cross-border expansion plans over the past six months, representing S$5.6 billion in projected investments, UOB noted.

FDI into Asean has more than doubled over the past decade, even as global FDI declined by around 20 per cent over the same period, it added.

UOB CEO Wee Ee Cheong said Asean is “at the heart” of the bank’s growth strategy and is becoming an increasingly important global economic hub.

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“As trade, investment and wealth flows between Asean and Greater China deepen, new opportunities are emerging across the region,” he noted.

“This new role reinforces our commitment to capturing these opportunities for customers and supporting them in their cross-border growth.”

Tan will report directly to Wee and become a member of the bank’s management executive committee.

He has more than 30 years of experience across banking, credit and risk management in Asean and Greater China.

Tan joined UOB in 2012 as head of group credit for retail, before becoming head of group business banking. He was appointed chief executive of UOB Thailand in 2016.

During his tenure, UOB Thailand grew to become the second-largest foreign bank in the country and one of its top-three card issuers, the lender said. Tan also worked on facilitating FDIs into Thailand and helping regional clients enter new markets.

He returned to Singapore in 2024 as deputy chief risk officer, where he has been responsible for strengthening the bank’s risk management approach, governance and risk culture.