Standard Chartered Bank, Lebanon – Pik Yee Foong (Q&A)

Appointed chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) of Lebanon in September 2008, Pik Yee Foong is the only female CEO in the country’s entire banking sector. She is also the first woman to hold such a senior position at SCB in the entire Middle East. Previously, Foong was chief financial officer of SCB Malaysia, with over 20 years of experience in banking, sales, finance, operations, risk management and auditing. Executive recently held a one-on-one interview with the CEO to discuss her insights on 2008 financial performance and what path she expects the global financial crisis to take in the next 12 to 18 months. E How would you describe Standard Chartered’s 2008 financial performance? I’m very proud of the group’s strong performance despite a deteriorating macroeconomic environment, particularly in the second half [of the year] and I would like to share with you two headline numbers. First is