Key insights to ‘ASEAN and SL’ from top HSBC global executives at Daily FT Forum on 11 June

Slew of top international executives from global banking giant HSBC will be a key attraction at the 11 June forum on ‘ASEAN: Sri Lanka’s Next Big Opportunity’ organised by Daily FT in partnership with the Colombo University MBA Alumni Association at the Shangri La Hotel, Colombo.

The unprecedented active participation of these top executives who will share key insights is thanks to HSBC being the Strategic Partner of the forum from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  followed by lunch. 

With Sri Lanka pursuing an aggressive trade liberalisation and greater facilitation strategy to diversify exports to and lure more Foreign Direct Investments from ASEAN, the focus on how Sri Lanka can maximise from the potential is timely.  The 10-member ASEAN is a compelling opportunity for Sri Lanka given its 630 million affluent population and $ 2.25 trillion GDP.

Sri Lanka has already signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Singapore which is considered as a competitive gateway to ASEAN markets. Additionally, the Government is negotiating or planning FTAs with Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Korea. 

ASEAN is also home for emerging economies such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. HSBC executives at the 11 June forum will share some of the latest developments on trade and investments in ASEAN, the opportunities for Sri Lanka and its private sector as well as key lessons from Southeast Asia for Sri Lanka in terms of reforms, exports and FDIs.   

Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy will be the Chief Guest whilst the forum will also have several local experts to give a Sri Lankan perspective.  

The team of HSBC executives will be led by Douglas Lippoldt, Chief Trade Economist in HSBC Global Research, HSBC London and includes Tim Evans, Head of Commercial Banking International Markets, Asia Pacific; Winfield Wong, Head of Wholesale Banking, HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Ltd.; Vivek Deshpande, Regional Head of Sales, Commercial Banking, Global Liquidity and Cash Management, Asia Pacific and Stuart E Rogers, Head of Wholesale Banking, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Lippoldt joined HSBC in August 2014 after working as a senior economist at OECD in Paris for 22 years and international economist with the US Department of Labor for seven years. He has published extensively on various topics including trade, economic development, labour market adjustment, innovation and intellectual property. 

Lippoldt holds a PhD in Economics from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), an MA in International Studies from the University of Denver USA. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Cologne, Germany. He represents HSBC as the deputy delegate on the B20 Trade and Investment Taskforce.

Evans is currently the Head of Commercial Banking’s International Markets in Asia Pacific which covers Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Prior to this, he was HSBC’s Regional Head of Middle Market Enterprises, Asia Pacific which covered 19 markets. Before this he was the Regional Head of Global Trade & Receivables Finance for a period of three years covering the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region consisting of a presence in 10 countries.

Preceding this, Evans was the Chief Operating Officer of the Commercial Banking business of HSBC in the MENA region for a period of two years. He ran the Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank, a standalone bank based in California which was an equity joint venture between Wells Fargo and the HSBC Group, and was the only nationally chartered bank in the United States dedicated exclusively to the finance of international trade.

Winfield was seconded to HSBC Vietnam since August 2014. As Country Head of Wholesale Banking, Winfield is responsible for all corporate client groups which span across multinationals, small, medium enterprises, large local corporates and state owned enterprises. Winfield is based in Ho Chi Minh City but travels regularly and extensively throughout the country.

Winfield joined HSBC Singapore in 2011. As a career banker, his background is corporate and investment banking. Winfield has an extensive experience of working with regional corporate and institutional clients in high-profile, capital market fundraising exercises as well as transactional banking, trade, derivatives and crossborder structured financings.

Deshpande is the Regional Head of Sales for Global Liquidity and Cash Management, Asia Pacific. He is responsible for establishment of the strategic direction and delivery of our Sales proposition to our Commercial banking clients in Asia and globally.

Deshpande has 22 years of experience in diverse industries including Banking, Consumer Products, IT and Engineering across functional areas ranging from Sales, Supply Chain, Strategic Planning and Customer Service. He possesses extensive International experience having been based in India, Thailand and Hong Kong in leading Regional roles with significant exposure to Asia Pacific markets. 

Prior to joining HSBC, Deshpande was the Regional Head of Customer Service and Supply Chain for Whirlpool South East Asia based in Bangkok. Deshpande is an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mumbai University.

Rogers became Head of Wholesale Banking of Sri Lanka and Maldives for The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. on 1 January 2018. Rogers joined the HSBC Group in 1999 and has held a number of senior positions encompassing Commercial Banking, Strategy and Risk Management in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Australia. Rogers was most recently the Head of the Project Management Office in Indonesia and led the integration of HSBC’s two operations in Indonesia (Bank Ekonomi and HSBC Indonesia). Rogers holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of New South Wales, Australia.