HSBC regional banking head steps in as sustainability chief
Julian Wentzel, head of HSBC’s operations in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, will become interim group chief sustainability officer on Dec. 31 to fill the spot vacated by Celine Herweijer. Read More
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Julian Wentzel, head of HSBC’s operations in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, was officially named group chief sustainability officer of the financial services company to fill the spot vacated by Celine Herweijer. Wentzel has been serving on an interim basis in that role since Dec. 31.
“Supporting the transition to net zero is a priority for HSBC and for the customers we serve,” Wentzel said in a LinkedIn post announcing his confirmation. His priority will be to help HSBC customers working on clean economy transitions “to finance and deliver against their sustainability ambitions and to identify innovative solutions to enable their progress.”
Herweijer resigned her position after the bank reduced its executive operating committee to 12 individuals from 18, an organizational structure that no longer includes the CSO role. HSBC named a new CEO in September, and Herweijer’s departure is part of many changes across the organization. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Wentzel will report to HSBC Chief Financial Officer Pam Kaur while the bank recruits Herweijer’s replacement, according to an HSBC statement. Previously, the CSO position reported directly to HSBC’s chief executive.
Herweijer was hired in 2021 from consulting firm PwC, where she advised some of the world’s largest financial services organizations and asset management companies. She orchestrated HSBC’s first net-zero transition plan launched in January. The bank was one of the first to declare its intention to stop funding fossil fuels projects in December 2022. It has pledged to invest $1 billion in climate tech, including carbon removal technologies and battery storage.
Wentzel joined HSBC in 2015, and “brings a strong client and commercial lens” to HSBC’s sustainability strategy, the bank said in a statement.
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