Winning over the confidence of stakeholders is tough when one succeeds a long-serving, highly regarded and charismatic leader
DBS has done a good job of smoothly handling the thorny issue of leadership succession. It speaks well of the bank’s succession planning that the group chose an internal candidate who has served in various roles for many years to be its new chief executive officer.
Sure, there may have been some jostling for the much coveted top job. However, DBS’ board was unanimous in choosing 56-year old Tan Su Shan from among many senior figures to be the next CEO of Singapore’s largest company by market capitalisation.
On Wednesday (Aug 7), DBS’ board announced Tan’s appointment as deputy CEO, in addition to her existing role as group head of institutional banking. She will succeed Piyush Gupta, who turns 65 next year, when he retires at the next annual general meeting on Mar 28, 2025.
