Aussie bankers snare two top jobs in Hong Kong

Reuters reports that the head of loan syndication and loan sales for Asia Pacific at BNP Paribas, Didier Leblanc, is leaving the industry after 18 years and will be relocating to the US. Leblanc has been leading the French bank's Asian loan sales business for the last seven years.

His departure, combined with other senior hires and reshuffles in recent months, has  allowed the global bank to continue its push from Australia into Asian markets by promoting Wayne Green, currently head of loan syndications for Australia, to take up Leblanc's regional role. Green will be relocating to Hong Kong in January and will retain responsibility for the banking group's Australian loan business.

Green's move at BNP follows hot on the heels of news that Roy Gori, Citi's head of consumer banking for North Asia and Australia, and its regional head of retail banking for the Asia Pacific, has jumped ship to lead the Asia operations of Manulife Financial Corporation, Canada's largest insurer - also based out of Hong Kong.

Effective 1 March 2015, Gori (who began his working career straight from high school and into the mail room at Citi) will succeed Robert Cook, who is retiring after a 36-year career at Manulife, the last seven years as president and chief executive of its Asia division.

In that time, the size of Manulife Asia division's business has more than doubled, to 9,600 employees and 53,000 agents, while sales in its core businesses increased by 160 per cent to account for over half the group's global insurance sales.

"With the importance of Asia to Manulife, we needed someone with deep knowledge and experience in Asia, a highly strategic bent, a strong cultural fit with Manulife, and superb leadership capabilities," wrote CEO Donald Guloien, in a note to employees.