HSBC Holdings plc

Founded in 1865, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.

We’re here to use our unique expertise, capabilities, breadth and perspectives to open up new kinds of opportunity for our customers. We’re bringing together the people, ideas and capital that drive progress and growth, helping to create a better world – for our customers, our people, our investors and our communities. Our purpose – Opening up a world of opportunity – explains why we exist.

Our values

At HSBC, our values guide us in all our actions – from strategic decisions to day-to-day interactions with customers and each other. Our values are rooted in HSBC’s history, heritage and character, and help us deliver on our purpose.

Our values in detail

We value difference

We were born speaking different languages. We were founded on the strength of different experiences, attributes and voices; they are integral to who we are and how we work.

The greater our empathy and diversity, the better we reflect the worlds of our customers and communities – and the better we can serve them.

So we champion inclusivity. We listen. We remove barriers. And we seek out views different from our own.

We succeed together

We offer our customers a unique breadth of opportunity.

And we can only deliver the full promise of this by being truly connected – across boundaries. With our customers and partners. Together as colleagues and as an organisation.

So, we collaborate across boundaries. We break down silos. We trust and support each other. And, when necessary, get out of each other’s way.

Together, we make possible what we cannot do alone.

We take responsibility

What we do has a real impact on people’s lives, communities and the planet. We take this responsibility seriously.

We set ourselves high standards and are each accountable for our actions. We always use good judgement. And if something doesn’t feel right, as colleagues we speak up and act.

We build for tomorrow, today. We succeed only by taking the long view, by focusing on the sustainable interests of our customers, investors, and the communities we serve.

We get it done

We create value for our customers and investors by always moving forward and making things happen.

We’re entrepreneurial: we try new things, we learn and improve, and we take smart risks.

We’re dynamic: we reject mediocrity. We move at pace.

We’re decisive: we make clear choices and take bold actions.

And we keep our word: we do what we promise.

Our strategy

Our strategy supports our ambition to be the preferred international financial partner for our clients.

In October 2024, we announced plans to simplify our organisational structure to accelerate delivery against our strategic priorities. Since 1 January 2025, the HSBC Group has operated through four new businesses: Hong Kong, UK, Corporate and Institutional Banking (CIB), and International Wealth and Premier Banking (IWPB). This structure replaced our global business structure of Wealth and Personal Banking, Commercial Banking and Global Banking and Markets.

Our strategic priorities remain clear. We aim to build on our leadership in Hong Kong and the UK, and partner with our clients as they expand internationally. International connectivity distinguishes HSBC – indeed, international trade has always been at the heart of our business. We were founded in Hong Kong in 1865 and by 1875 had expanded into seven countries across Asia, Europe and North America. Today, we serve 58 countries and territories around the world.

We are committed to building on our strong platform for growth. We are a highly connected, global business and the plans we set out in October 2024 aim to deliver best-in-class products and service excellence to our customers, increase our leadership and market share in areas where we have competitive advantage, and create a simple, more agile, focused organisation with clearer lines of accountability and faster decision making.

Our history

HSBC was born from one simple idea – a local bank serving international needs. In March 1865, HSBC opened its doors for business in Hong Kong, helping to finance trade between Europe and Asia.

We have been supporting our customers for 160 years. Today, we serve around 41 million personal, wealth and corporate customers worldwide in 58 countries and territories.

The experiences of the past 160 years have formed the character of HSBC. A glance at our history explains why we believe in capital strength, in strict cost control and in building long-term relationships with customers.

The bank has weathered change in all forms – revolutions, economic crises, new technologies – and adapted to survive. The resulting corporate character enables HSBC to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Board of directors

Sir Mark Tucker, Group Chairman

Sir Mark Tucker was appointed non-executive Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc on 1 October 2017. Mark is also non-executive Group Chairman of the Discovery Group of South Africa.

He has 40 years’ experience in the financial services industry in Asia, the US, the UK and Africa, including over 30 years based in Hong Kong. Mark’s previous role was Group Chief Executive and President of AIA Group Limited, having joined in July 2010. Before AIA he was Group Chief Executive of Prudential plc.

Mark has served on the Court of The Bank of England. He has also served on the Board of the Goldman Sachs Group.

Mark’s appointments in the UK include Chair of the UK Multinational Chairmen’s Group and Supporting Chair of Chapter Zero. Mark also belongs to the Trade Finance Advisory Group of the International Chamber of Commerce and the UK Department of Trade’s Financial Services Trade Advisory Group.

Until recently, Mark was a member of the UK Investment Council, as well as the Prime Minister’s Build Back Better Business Council and was Chair of TheCityUK until May 2022.

Mark is a member of the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Councils to the Mayor of Beijing and also to the Mayor of Shanghai. In addition, Mark was appointed to the Hong Kong Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers in March 2023 and to China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration International Advisory Council in September 2023. In October 2023 he was appointed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Supreme National Investment Committee’s Investment Advisory Council. Previously Mark was Co-Chair of the Indian B20 Taskforce on Financial Inclusion for Economic Empowerment.

He is on The Asia Society’s Board of Trustees in New York and is a Director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He is also an Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Mark gained a BA from Leeds University and received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Leeds University in July 2022. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in England and Wales in 1985. In June 2024 Mark was honoured with a Knighthood by His Majesty the King in recognition of his services to the economy.

Mark is married with two children. He is passionate about football, having played professionally.

Georges Elhedery, Group Chief Executive

Georges Elhedery was appointed Group Chief Executive from 2 September 2024.

He most recently served as Group Chief Financial Officer from January 2023 until September 2024.

Mr Elhedery joined HSBC in 2005 as a senior Global Markets executive with extensive trading experience in London, Paris and Tokyo.

He later moved to Dubai and served as Regional Head of Global Markets, Middle East and North Africa (MENA); then as Head of Global Banking & Markets, MENA; and finally as CEO for HSBC, Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye.

Mr Elhedery returned to London to serve as Head of Global Markets in 2019 before taking up the position of Global Co-CEO of Global Banking & Markets in 2020.

Mr Elhedery holds a degree in Engineering from the École Polytechnique in Paris, France, as well as a postgraduate degree in Statistics and Economics from the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Économique (ENSAE).

Pam Kaur, Group Chief Financial Officer

Pam Kaur was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer from 1 January 2025. She is an Executive Director of the Board of HSBC Holdings plc and a member of the Group Operating Committee. In addition to leading HSBC’s Global Finance teams, Ms Kaur has accountability for Global Sustainability and Group External Communications.

Ms Kaur joined HSBC in April 2013 as Group Head of Internal Audit. In April 2019, she was appointed Head of Wholesale Market and Credit Risk and Chair of the new enterprise-wide non-financial risk forum.

She was appointed Group Chief Risk Officer in January 2020, and assumed responsibility for Compliance in June 2021. She served as Group Chief Risk and Compliance Officer until December 2024.

Ms Kaur qualified as a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young and began her career in internal audit at Citibank.

She has extensive experience of creating and looking after large teams across different regions and has performed many senior roles in audit, business, compliance, finance and risk management at other global financial institutions. She has also worked with regulators and supervisory boards across the world.

Ms Kaur’s former appointments include: Global Head of Group Audit for Deutsche Bank; Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Restructuring and Risk Division, Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc; Group Head of Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering, Lloyds TSB; Chief Compliance Officer, Citigroup International; Global Director of Compliance, Global Consumer Group, Citigroup; and non-executive Director of Centrica plc.

She serves as a non-executive Director of abrdn plc. Ms Kaur has an MBA in Finance, and a BCom (Hons) from Panjab University in India, and is a Fellow member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Geraldine Buckingham, Independent non-executive Director

Geraldine Buckingham was appointed to the Board on 1 May 2022. She is a highly regarded and widely experienced executive within the global financial services industry who brings significant Asia leadership experience to the Board.

Ms Buckingham’s most recent executive role was as Chair and Head of Asia Pacific at BlackRock where she was responsible for all business activities across Hong Kong and mainland China, Japan, Australia, Singapore, India and Korea. After stepping down from this role in February 2021, she acted as senior advisor to Larry Fink, BlackRock Chairman and CEO, until her retirement from BlackRock at the end of 2021. She also previously served as Global Head of Corporate Strategy at BlackRock and prior to joining BlackRock, she was a partner within McKinsey & Company’s financial services practice.

Ms Buckingham is a non-executive director of Brunswick Group Partnership Limited and H.R.L. Morrison & Co Limited and is a member of the Advisory Board of Climateworks Centre Australia.

She holds a Master of Philosophy in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor in Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the Monash University.

Aileen Taylor, Group Chief People & Governance Officer

Aileen Taylor was appointed Group Chief People & Governance Officer in October 2024, having joined HSBC in November 2019 as Group Company Secretary & Chief Governance Officer. In January 2022 she assumed responsibility for non-executive regulatory engagement and compliance with the UK Senior Manager and Certification Regime.

In her current role, Mrs Taylor is responsible for leading a team of over 3,340 employees. She has accountability for the development of a workforce fit for the future, aligned to the strategy and operating priorities of the Group for over 210,000 employees globally. This includes communications. Mrs Taylor is also responsible for oversight of governance across the organisation.

Mrs Taylor joined HSBC from The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) where she held various senior leadership roles including Chief Governance and Regulatory Officer & Board Counsel and Group Secretary. A qualified lawyer, she spent 19 years at RBS undertaking roles across Legal, Governance, Risk and Compliance.

Mrs Taylor holds various external positions focused on facilitating industry best practice, and lives in the UK with her husband and three children.

Group Head Office: 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ, United Kingdom

Phone: +44 (0)20 7991 8888