CIMB has appointed Hendra Lembong as Chief Fintech Officer with effect from 1 June 2018. Hendra will be replacing Olivier Crespin who hired in 2017 to head the newly set up fintech dedicated unit, CIMB Fintech.CIMB FinTech was launched in 2017 to drive innovation, as well as chart and execute the Group’s long term digital roadmap.
In a previous interview with Fintech News Malaysia, Olivier shared that CIMB will be working towards deploying a digital-only bank in countries like Vietnam and Philippines, not unlike DBS’ Digibank in India and Indonesia, a project previously led by Olivier.
It is unclear whether under Hendra’s new leadership this plan will be continued, Hendra started his career in CIMB in 2013 as Chief of Transaction Banking for CIMB Niaga, Indonesia. In 2017, his role was expanded regionally to CEO, Group Transaction Banking. Hendra’s strategic role in overseeing the business’ growth across ASEAN had transformed transaction banking into a significant contributor to CIMB’s revenue.
Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Aziz, Group CEO, CIMB Group, said, “I’m pleased to have Hendra helm the role of the Chief Fintech Officer for CIMB. CIMB Fintech is a strategic unit for CIMB to examine and invest in new technology encompassing, among others, AI, blockchain, data science and machine-learning, to enable us to digitize our core, enhance customer experience and where necessary, disrupt our own business. As such, CIMB FinTech will play a crucial role in the formulation of our next mid-term growth strategy. I am confident that with Hendra’s vast experience and strong leadership, CIMB Fintech will be on track to help the Group achieve its digital ambitions to enhance our value proposition for the Group’s stakeholders and 13 million customers across ASEAN.”
Hendra holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of Washington, USA and Master of Science in Engineering-Economic Systems, Stanford University, USA. Prior to joining CIMB, Hendra had gained over 20 years’ experience in various development, strategic and leadership roles at highly reputable global financial institutions, across Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong and London.
