Naina Lal Kidwai appointed director on HSBC Asia-Pacific board

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has appointed Naina Lal Kidwai as a director of the bank. She will join the board from October 1, 2010, subject to regulatory approval from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Kidwai has been with HSBC since 2002 and is the country head of the bank in India.

Speaking on Kidwai's appointment, Michael Geoghegan, chairman of HSBC and group chief executive of HSBC Holdings said, “Naina’s appointment to the HSBC board is a reflection of the growing importance of India in our emerging markets strategy."

"We recently announced our third major investment in the country in the last two years and see a range of growth opportunities in areas of strength for HSBC, including in insurance and in serving businesses that trade internationally.”

Kidwai is a well recognised business leader in India and is a member of a number of Government bodies, industry associations and international institutions. These include being a member of the Audit Advisory Board of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the Indian Government’s National Integration Council as well as Chairman of the City of London’s Advisory Council for India.

Prior to joining HSBC in 2002, she worked at Morgan Stanley and ANZ Grindlays.