Pam Kaur, HSBC’s first Chief Financial Officer (CFO), is eyeing a step down in 2027, marking another high-profile executive departure at the Asia-focused lender, which under CEO Georges Elhedery has undergone a radical restructuring in the past two years.
Kaur, the British lender’s first female finance chief in its over 160-year history, will not stand for re-election as a director at the bank’s 2027 annual general meeting, which usually happens in the month of May.
“After stepping down from the full-time role of Group CFO and executive director, Kaur will take on an advisory role to support Group CEO Georges Elhedery on ongoing strategic projects,” HSBC stated further.
HSBC’s board has already started the hunt for Kaur’s successor and will consider “both internal and external candidates.”
Kaur’s exit will likely put HSBC’s leadership stability and succession planning back under media scrutiny. In December 2025, the lender unexpectedly named interim Chair Brendan Nelson to the permanent role after a seven-month search.
Since her appointment in October 2024, Kaur has been regarded as the top aide to Elhedery, as he led the HSBC’s global overhaul, which split the bank into East and West regional divisions, driven by market exits and deep cost cuts to streamline operations.
HSBC, along with its British peers, has witnessed gains on both revenue and stock fronts due to favorable interest rates and resilient credit quality despite global economic uncertainty.
In August, HSBC’s global chief executive for the insurance business Edward Moncreiffe left the bank after two decades at the banking group. Among other high-profile exits, we have former head of banking for Europe and the Americas Gerry Keefe, who resigned in April, and HSBC’s cash equities trading heads, James Grafton and Steve Jobber, who left in February.
The bank’s former US banking chief Lisa McGeough departed in September 2025.
Image Credit: HSBC