CIMB appoints veteran banker Mak Joon Nien as Singapore CEO

[SINGAPORE] Malaysian bank CIMB Group announced on Thursday (May 7) that it has appointed Mak Joon Nien as CEO of CIMB Singapore.

He has also been appointed CEO of growth markets. Based in Singapore, he will oversee CIMB Thailand and CIMB Cambodia, with a focus on accelerating business growth, strengthening cross-border connectivity and advancing regional opportunities.

His appointment as Singapore CEO is subject to regulatory approval.

Both positions were helmed by Victor Lee until his abrupt resignation in September 2025.

Lee was appointed president and CEO of the Philippine-listed Security Bank Corp in January this year.

Following Lee’s exit, CEO of CIMB Group Novan Amirudin took on the role of acting CEO of growth markets and chief financial officer of CIMB Singapore Andrew Boey stepped in to lead CIMB Singapore.

Mak, who is in his early 50s, brings close to three decades of international banking experience and will report to Amirudin.

In 2022, he was named CEO of Standard Chartered Malaysia, becoming the first Malaysian in the role.

But he is no stranger to the Singapore market, having spent 15 years in the city-state with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, as well as leveraged finance. He was subsequently appointed as managing director responsible for private equity client coverage.

He returned to Malaysia in 2017 to lead StanChart’s corporate, commercial and institutional banking business.

Growth markets is a key pillar of CIMB’s Asean strategy, said Novan.

“Mak’s deep regional experience, strong execution track record and client relationships will accelerate the group’s ambition in cross-border banking, regional wealth management and investment advisory.”