Mr Lim to lead dedicated office to work across the Bank in driving sustainability agenda
UOB has appointed Mr Eric Lim as its first Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). In the new role, Mr Lim will lead a dedicated Corporate Sustainability Office and focus on achieving the Bank’s sustainability objectives of helping businesses to advance responsibly, steering consumer wealth to sustainable investments and fostering social inclusiveness and environmental well-being. Given the importance of sustainability to the Bank’s overall strategy, the CSO role will report directly to Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), UOB. Mr Lim will also join the Bank’s Management Committee, which is chaired by the CEO and comprises the Bank’s most senior leaders from across the region.
Mr Wee said, “At UOB, we ensure that our duty as a financial steward is aligned with our responsibility to help contribute to the region’s long-term economic, social and environmental well-being. Since Eric joined UOB in 2013, he has been instrumental in driving the Bank’s sustainability agenda. With his new mandate, Eric and his team will build our capability and capacity further as we continue to forge a sustainable future for the better, for all.”
The Corporate Sustainability Office will work closely with the business and support functions across UOB’s network to increase focus, engagement on and execution of the Bank’s sustainability strategy. The team will also develop and monitor the key performance indicators of the Bank’s strategic sustainability goals, including UOB’s own carbon footprint target. Mr Lim is also the chairperson of UOB’s Group Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) 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.
The CSO appointment is an extension of Mr Lim’s current role as Head of Group Finance, where he oversees financial strategy, capital management, regulatory and financial reporting, tax management, business finance and performance management. In this role, he continues to report to UOB Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr Lee Wai Fai. Mr Lim’s expanded responsibilities will help ensure synergies between the Bank’s sustainability strategy and financial performance management. Prior to UOB, Mr 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-headquartered financial services firm where he took on various executive positions in financial planning and analysis, mergers and acquisitions, audit and controllership based across the US and Asia. He has a Bachelor of Accounting degree from the Nanyang Technological University and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
