United Overseas Bank Names Chief Sustainability Officer

Tom Burroughes

12 April 2021

has appointed Eric Lim as its first chief sustainability officer. In this new role, Lim will lead a dedicated corporate sustainability office and focus on achieving the bank’s sustainability goals.

Lim, who will report to Wee Ee Cheong, deputy chairman and chief executive, UOB, will also join the bank’s management committee. The committee is chaired by the CEO and comprises the bank’s most senior leaders from across the region.

Prior to this role, Lim was managing director and head of wholesale banking finance, Singapore and Southeast Asia at a multinational bank. He began his career at a US-based financial services firm where he took on various executive positions involving financial planning and analysis, mergers and acquisitions, audit and controllership, based in the US and Asia.

Lim is also the chairperson of UOB’s group environmental, social and governance committee. The ESG committee is responsible for reviewing the bank’s material ESG topics, identifying relevant risks and opportunities and monitoring the progress of sustainability-related programmes and initiatives.

Last week, UOB priced its first “sustainability bond” offering from Singapore, raising a total of $1.5 billion. It is an example of how banks are pushing their sustainability credentials in investment and financial deals - one of the most prominent trends in banking and wealth management.