British bank Standard Chartered Bank (Stanchart) announced the appointment of its new chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Samson for its Philippine unit, the second Filipino to take this position.

His appointment is effective Dec. 1, but still subject to regulatory approval from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The last local executive at the helm of Stanchart is Lynette Ortiz who is now the president and CEO of state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines.

In a statement, Stanchart said Samson is also concurrent Head of Client Coverage for Philippines and the ASEAN.  

As the new CEO, Samson plans to forge stronger banking relationships in the ASEAN trade bloc to expand the bank’s corporate and institutional business.

“Philippines is a strategic part of the bank’s ASEAN network with immense opportunities. My key focus is to drive our strategic agenda and leverage on our strong ASEAN presence to deliver sustainable growth and value for all our stakeholders,” he said.

Stanchart noted that Samson “is a highly regarded banker and has held leadership roles since he joined the bank in 2009.”

Before his appointment, he was Stanchart Australia CEO. He was also the ASEAN and South Asia corporate finance head for the Singapore unit and the ASEAN Regional Head for leveraged and structured solutions.

“Over his 28-year career, Samson has deep experience working with clients across a broad base of industries, such as insurance, power, infrastructure, oil and gas, telecommunications, media, technology, mining, transportation, airlines, real estate, logistics, consumer goods, and healthcare,” said Stanchart.

He graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a BA degree in Management Economics, and an MBA degree in Finance and Strategic Management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also an alumnus of the Asian Financial Leaders Programme of the Singapore Management University.

Stanchart is the Philippines’ oldest foreign bank at 151 years old.