Annabel Spring

Spear’s Review  

‘At its heart, this is a business that’s about trusted relationships between people,’ says Annabel Spring, CEO of global private banking and wealth at HSBC. ‘That’s absolutely our focus. It’s understanding deeply individual client situations – every family, every business, every entrepreneur is a little bit different. I always think when you’re talking to someone, “What do they need?”’

Marrying that personal touch with the reach of HSBC is something Spring has aimed to do since she took on her role in 2020. And HSBC does indeed have reach. Investment in the wealth division has allowed the private bank to enter six Chinese cities, the UAE, Mexico, India and Thailand in recent years, with headcount in its private banking and wealth division increasing by 40 per cent since 2020.

Spring tells Spear’s the bank’s strategy is being shaped by the flow of trade, investment and business activity between the Middle East and Asia, in addition to the existing UK-Middle East corridor. ‘There is a real desire among our clients to get to know each other,’ Spring says. ‘So it’s not just investment and money moving – it’s ideas and people collaborating.’