OCBC Bank appoints Lee Hwee Boon as Head of Group Human Resources
OCBC Bank today announced the appointment of Ms Lee Hwee Boon, 51, as its Head of Group Human Resources, to succeed Mr Jason Ho who will retire on 23 June 2022. Ms Lee is currently the head of Enterprise Banking – Middle Market & Services, Global Commercial Banking, OCBC Bank. She will assume her new role on 24 June 2022.
Ms Lee joined OCBC Bank in May 1993 as a Trainee Bank Officer. She has risen through the ranks across various business and corporate functions to her current role. Always challenging the status quo and innovating to create value for customers, in 2020, Ms Lee drove the initiative to develop the OCBC SME Sustainable Finance Framework, the first of its kind among Singapore banks. The framework was groundbreaking in enabling even small companies to access green loans without having to develop complicated frameworks. As part of the drive to develop green solutions with industry players in 2021, Ms Lee also led the collaboration with Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in their development of the Building Energy Efficiency Assessment tool to predict the energy consumption of buildings. Through the collaboration, OCBC Bank launched a market-first green loan that leverages the Building Energy Efficiency Assessment tool.
Ms Lee has also proven to be a strong leader with a passion for talent development, having groomed her staff for leadership positions in diverse businesses across the bank. These staff have been instrumental in catalyzing strategic initiatives and driving transformation in their own areas of work.
Mr Ho assumed the role of Group Human Resources on 1 July 2015. Over the past 7 years, Mr Ho has introduced many initiatives which have transformed the human resources function. One of which is a human resource mobile banking app that provides all OCBC Bank employees with easy and convenient access to human resource services and information in one place. After the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Mr Ho ensured the safety and wellbeing of the bank’s 30,000 employees, rolling out various COVID care packages, new policies and guidelines. Mr Ho’s contributions led to the bank earning regional recognition as an employer of choice. In 2021, noteworthy awards included the Tripartite Alliance Awards – Pinnacle Award (Singapore), Tripartite Alliance Awards – Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (Singapore), #1 - 2021 LinkedIn Top Companies (Singapore) and IBF Inspire Award.
Said Ms Helen Wong, Group CEO of OCBC Bank, “Our people assets and culture are core strengths of OCBC that we want to reinforce as part of our corporate strategy to ‘Excel for Sustainable Growth’. The human resources function plays a critical role in accelerating our investments in attracting, retaining and developing the best talent, and preparing our workforce to be future-ready. After evaluating both external and internal candidates, Hwee Boon has emerged as the strongest candidate. Over the years, we have identified talents with the abilities and the potential to fill senior positions across the bank. Both Jason and Hwee Boon, though not from an HR background, have been identified to have strong people leadership skills and proven management capabilities with the right values and character. Just as Jason has brought a different perspective to HR, I am confident that Hwee Boon, will do the same as she transforms and drives our talent strategy.”