Anthony Lim to succeed Peter Seah as DBS chairman from Jan 2027

Singapore's largest bank and Southeast Asia's biggest lender by assets, DBS, on Thursday (Nov 5) announced that current board member Anthony Lim will succeed Peter Seah as chairman on Jan 1, 2027.

The 79-year-old outgoing chairman will retire on Dec 31, 2026, and will serve as senior adviser for one year.

Lim, 67, was appointed to the Singapore lender's board in April 2020 and currently chairs the compensation and management development committee. He is also a member of the board's risk management and board executive committees.

The global institutional investment and financial markets veteran spent 19 years with GIC before retiring in 2017. Prior, he was a senior managing director at Bankers Trust Company, where he held various management and trading positions in the global markets’ division in Singapore and London from 1987 to 1998.

The incoming DBS chairman was with the Monetary Authority of Singapore before joining Bankers Trust Company, rising to become head of the central bank's foreign exchange, gold, and liquidity division.

DBS said the Singaporean has a deep appreciation of DBS' unique role in the country's financial system.

"Through his board appointments across the public, private and philanthropic sectors, he brings a broad perspective on the economic, social and national issues shaping Singapore’s future."

Lim said in a statement to the media that the lender is an iconic Singapore institution and one of Asia's leading financial services groups, and a matter of "great pride" that a homegrown bank has earned a place among the world's best and respected banks.

"Building on the strong foundations laid by my predecessors, I look forward to working closely with the Board and management to sustain DBS’ momentum and create long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

DBS chief executive officer (CEO) Tan Su Shan said Lim has consistently brought invaluable perspectives on a wide range of issues, from geopolitics and risk management to organisational leadership and talent development.

"With his global perspective, deep expertise and extensive networks, he is exceptionally well placed to guide DBS as we strengthen our position as a trusted, pan-Asian, AI-enabled bank with a heart," she added.

Good chairmanship often underappreciated: Temasek

The lender's biggest shareholder, Temasek Holdings, noted in a letter co-signed by its chairman Teo Chee Hean and chief executive officer Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara that Seah had set out a clear ambition when he was appointed in 2010 — for DBS to become the Asian bank of choice for the new Asia.

Since then, the Singapore lender has emerged as one of Asia's "strongest and most respected" financial institutions, with a standing that extends well beyond the region.

Most recently, it was named World's Best Digital Bank by Global Finance in its 2026 rankings.

Since 2010, DBS' market capitalisation has expanded more than six-fold, from approximately $35 billion to over $200 billion, while annual net profit has risen from $2.65 billion to more than $11 billion.

In addition, cumulative total shareholder returns, including dividends and bonus shares, have exceeded 1,000 per cent, equivalent to a compounding total shareholder return of more than 16 per cent per annum.

"These achievements are all the more notable for having been delivered through periods of significant economic, technological and geopolitical change," Temasek said.

The state-owned global investment company also noted the 15-year partnership between Seah and the bank's former CEO Piyush Gupta, saying it exemplified how a chairman and CEO can bring out the best in each other and in the institution they lead.

"Good chairmanship is often not immediately visible and often times underappreciated. It is reflected in the quality of decisions made, the difficult moments navigated, the leaders developed and the culture sustained.

"A good chairman knows how to play a leading role and how to play a supporting role," Temasek highlighted in its letter.

Seah said one of the board's most important responsibilities is ensuring continuity of leadership.

He added that with the CEO transition to Tan Su Shan now completed , DBS is entering its next chapter from a position of strength.

"I am therefore able to hand over the reins to Anthony with confidence, knowing that DBS is in very capable hands," Seah added.

新加坡最大的银行、东南亚资产规模最大的贷款机构星展银行（DBS）于周四（11 月 5 日）宣布，现任董事会成员 Anthony Lim 将于 2027 年 1 月 1 日接替 Peter Seah 担任董事长。

这位 79 岁即将卸任的董事长将于 2026 年 12 月 31 日退休，并将担任一年的高级顾问。

现年67岁的林先生于2020年4月被任命为这家新加坡贷款机构的董事，目前担任薪酬与管理发展委员会主席。他同时也是董事会风险管理委员会和董事会执行委员会的成员。

这位全球机构投资和金融市场资深人士在新加坡政府投资公司 (GIC) 工作了 19 年，于 2017 年退休。此前，他曾担任 Bankers Trust Company 的高级董事总经理，于 1987 年至 1998 年间在新加坡和伦敦的全球市场部门担任过各种管理和交易职位。

即将上任的星展银行董事长曾在新加坡金融管理局任职，之后加入信孚银行，并一路晋升为中央银行外汇、黄金和流动性部门的负责人。

星展银行表示，这位新加坡人对星展银行在该国金融体系中的独特作用有着深刻的理解。

“他曾担任公共、私营和慈善部门的多个董事会职务，这使他对塑造新加坡未来的经济、社会和国家问题有了更广阔的视野。”

林先生在向媒体发表的声明中表示，该贷款机构是新加坡的标志性机构，也是亚洲领先的金融服务集团之一，一家本土银行能够跻身世界一流银行之列，是一件“非常值得骄傲”的事情。

“在我的前任们奠定的坚实基础上，我期待与董事会和管理层紧密合作，保持星展银行的发展势头，并为所有利益相关者创造长期价值。”

星展银行首席执行官陈素珊表示，林先生一直以来都对各种问题提出了宝贵的见解，从地缘政治和风险管理到组织领导力和人才发展。

她补充道：“凭借他的全球视野、深厚的专业知识和广泛的人脉网络，他完全有能力指导星展银行巩固其作为一家值得信赖、泛亚洲、人工智能赋能且充满人文关怀的银行的地位。”

优秀的董事长往往被低估：淡马锡

该贷款机构的最大股东淡马锡控股在其董事长张志贤和首席执行官迪尔汉·皮莱·桑德拉塞加拉共同签署的一封信中指出，谢先生在 2010 年被任命时就设定了一个明确的目标——让星展银行成为新亚洲的首选亚洲银行。

从那时起，这家新加坡贷款机构已发展成为亚洲“最强大、最受尊敬”的金融机构之一，其地位远远超出该地区。

最近，在《环球金融》杂志发布的 2026 年排名中，它被评为世界最佳数字银行。

自 2010 年以来，星展银行的市值增长了六倍多，从约 350 亿美元增长到超过 2000 亿美元，而年度净利润也从 26.5 亿美元增长到超过 110 亿美元。

此外，包括股息和红股在内的累计股东总回报已超过 1000%，相当于每年超过 16% 的复合股东总回报。

淡马锡表示：“这些成就更值得关注，因为它们是在经济、技术和地缘政治发生重大变革的时期取得的。”

这家国有全球投资公司还指出，谢赫与该银行前首席执行官皮尤什·古普塔之间长达 15 年的合作关系，体现了董事长和首席执行官如何能够激发彼此以及他们所领导的机构的最佳状态。

优秀的领导才能往往不易察觉，也常常被低估。它体现在决策的质量、应对困境的能力、培养的领导者以及维系的企业文化上。

淡马锡在信中强调：“一位优秀的董事长既懂得如何发挥领导作用，也懂得如何发挥辅助作用。”

Seah表示，董事会最重要的职责之一是确保领导层的连续性。

他还补充说，随着首席执行官陈素珊的交接完成，星展银行正以强大的姿态进入下一个篇章。

“因此，我可以放心地将DBS交给Anthony，因为我知道他有能力胜任，”Seah补充道。