HSBC has appointed an industry veteran and former senior Mondelez International executive as its new group head of marketing.
Leanne Cutts, who takes up the role this month, was president for gum, candy and beverages in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa at Mondelez from October 2016, based in Tokyo.
She joined the snacks company in 2011 as vice-president of marketing for Asia-Pacific, relocating to Japan from Singapore two years later as national president and managing director, according to a report in the marketing-communications industry publication «Campaign»
Before Mondelez, Cutts spent 17 years with GlaxoSmithKline in Sydney, London, Delhi and Hong Kong. She was previously a brand manager at Unilever in Australia.
When she commences in the new role Cutts will succeed Chris Clark, (pictured) who is leaving the bank after 15 years.
Clark is credited with playing a key role in developing HSBC’s highly regarded «World’s local bank» tagline, announced in June last year that he would leave the company but stay on until a successor was found.
In August, Clark said in an interview that the bank’s positioning had become disingenuous after it began cutting costs and exiting smaller markets such as Thailand.
When he departs next week, Clark will be the latest in a line of senior marketers to leave HSBC over the past 18 months. HSBC confirmed the new hire but declined to comment further.
Outsiders Coming In
HSBC, the London based but Asian centric banking group, has traditionally appointed from within for its senior roles. Earlier this year the bank named the first «outsider» to take on the chairman’s role at the bank.
Mark Tucker was announced as a director and Group Chairman Designate, from 1 September 2017, by the bank via a statement to the Hong Kong and U.K. stock exchanges. Tucker will take over as non executive Group Chairman on 1 October 2017.
