OCBC Appoints Successor to Retiring CEO Helen Wong
A 30-year banking veteran has been named as the successor to Helen Wong as chief executive officer of Singapore-based OCBC.
OCBC has appointed Tan Teck Long as group CEO, according to a statement, effective 1 January 2026. He succeeds Helen Wong, who will retire on December 31. Tan, currently head of global wholesale banking since joining OCBC in March 2022, will assume the additional role of deputy CEO, effective immediately.
Wong will remain with the bank after retirement as chairman of OCBC China and director of OCBC Hong Kong.
Three-Year Track Record
Tan Teck Long, OCBC's new group CEO (Image: OCBC)
In the past three years, Tan’s wholesale banking division achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 20 percent in total income and 25 percent in net profit. In China, he serves as a director on the boards of OCBC affiliates Bank of Ningbo and Maxwealth Fund Management Company.
Since May, he has also been chairing the Strategic Resilience Group (SRG), which aims to calibrate the bank, strengthen resilience and seek new growth engines.
Leadership That Goes Beyond
«After a rigorous global search, the Board unanimously agreed that Teck Long was the best candidate to take the helm. He has demonstrated sterling leadership that goes beyond growing the wholesale banking business; as chair of the OCBC Strategic Resilience Group, he has shown the ability to zero in on the critical issues, be forward-thinking and act decisively,» said Andrew Lee, chairman of OCBC Group’s board of directors.
Tan has over 30 years of banking experience, holding leadership roles in the corporate banking business and risk management function. Prior to joining OCBC, he was the group chief risk officer at Singapore rival DBS.
Record Profits
Helen Wong (Image: OCBC)
Under Wong as CEO, OCBC achieved record profits for three consecutive years. This includes a CAGR of 15 percent for banking net profit, 13 percent for wealth management income and 34 percent for profit contribution from insurance subsidiary Great Eastern.
She also oversaw the acquisition and integration of Indonesia's Bank Commonwealth, increased stake in Great Eastern and unveiled the largest capital return plan in the bank’s history with S$2.5 billion ($2 billion) in special dividends and share buybacks over two years.
Family Reasons
Wong joined OCBC in February 2020 as deputy president and head of global wholesale banking before becoming group CEO in April 2021. Previously, she spent 27 years at HSBC, last as Greater China chief executive.
According to the bank, Wong is retiring due to family reasons, which she had already indicated in 2024. Since the start of this year, she has been spending more personal time in Hong Kong, where her family is based.
Happy Retirement
«Helen Wong sharpened OCBC’s competitive edge as an integrated financial services group by ushering in a well-defined corporate strategy,» Lee commented. «Together with the team, Helen Wong has executed the strategy in a clear and disciplined manner. She is handing over to Teck Long a very steady ship. The Board and I offer her our unreserved thanks and wish her a very happy retirement.»
«It has been a rewarding journey to lead OCBC, with its rich history and heritage,» Wong added. «I am very pleased to hand the baton over to Teck Long. His bold leadership style, immense sense of responsibility and vision, coupled with grit, will steer OCBC confidently into the future. The synergies of our unique banking, wealth management, insurance and asset management franchise will be further maximized under Teck Long’s leadership.»
