ABN AMRO’s new CFO for Greater China eyes strengthening ties with The Netherlands

Oliver Kuan is also expanding the teams in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Equipped with a firm grasp of banking and finance in Greater China, Oliver Kuan has been appointed as ABN AMRO’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and will be taking over the entire finance function of the bank’s Greater China offices and Wholesale Banking Asia business. He will be based in Hong Kong.

For eight years, Oliver has worked with Deutsche Bank in London and Hong Kong, and has held a number of CFO Management and Supervisory Board positions. He has also worked in corporate finance and governance roles in China, the United Kingdom and Germany, with a different corporates focusing on transportation, energy, and natural resources. Kuan is also a holder of a Masters’ degree in Economics from the London School of Economics. With 20 years of finance experience under his belt, Kuan believes he is well prepared for his new position.

In an interview with Asian Banking and Finance, Kuan shares his philosophies and plans as he gears up for his new position:

ABF: What makes you excited about your new position?
My role is to help with a new phase of growth for a bank with a long history in Greater China as well as a strong brand recognition worldwide. I am personally excited to be able to contribute to the facilitating and strengthening of Netherlands - Greater China cross-border business activity and facilitating and supporting the exciting growth engines in Greater China.

ABF: What three goals are you focused on?
I am CFO for Greater China as well as for Wholesale Banking Asia and the responsibilities include the overall finance functions, management and regulatory reporting ALM/Treasury. I am currently expanding our teams in our Hong Kong and Shanghai offices in order to create a supportive infrastructure for our businesses to thrive.

Hand-in-hand with that, is my role in propagating and promoting ABN AMRO’s unique culture and values internally. And finally, I hope to contribute to achieving best-in-class corporate governance standards in the bank to achieve the top employer-of-choice aspirations we have. 

ABF: What changes are you planning for?
I would like to put further emphasis on coaching and empowering my team members to be able to grow professionally and personally.

As CFO and a senior member of the Greater China team, it is my responsibility and privilege to see that our employees feel that ABN AMRO is a place where they can perform and be recognised for it. This will in its own way bring a sense of satisfaction and, of course, go towards being an employer of choice in the market.

ABF: What are your key business philosophies?
Like ABN AMRO, I believe in drawing from diverse backgrounds and experiences to forge a winning team so that we are able to exceed clients’ expectations.

ABF: What previous positions prepared you for this and how?
My background has been in finance and I had spent eight years in Deutsche Bank in London and Hong Kong previously. I’ve also held various CFO Management and Supervisory Board positions with companies I had help IPO. All in all, I’ve had 20 years of experience in Greater China in finance positions which I believe have uniquely prepared me for my current position.

ABF: Anything else you’d like to add?
I would just like to mention the need for teamwork and how different individual perspectives from each team member helps with the overall decision-making process as well as enhancing our bank culture.

I like that ABN AMRO has a relentless client-focus when it comes to internal and external stakeholders which is something I believe in too.

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