UOB appoints Eric Lim as its first Chief Sustainability Officer

United Overseas Bank (UOB) has appointed Eric Lim as its first Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), the bank announced in a news release dated April 9.

Lim will lead a dedicated Corporate Sustainability Office and focus on achieving the bank’s sustainability objectives, with the role reporting directly to UOB Deputy Chairman and CEO Wee Ee Cheong. 

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.

The CSO appointment is an extension of 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 will continue reporting to UOB Group CFO Lee Wai Fai. 

Lim is also the chairperson of UOB’s Group Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee.

Wee says Lim has been instrumental in driving the bank’s sustainability agenda since joining in 2013. “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,” he says.

According to the bank, the Corporate Sustainability Office will work closely with the business and support functions across UOB’s network to execute the bank’s sustainability strategy, while also monitoring key performance indicators of the bank’s strategic sustainability goals, including UOB’s own carbon footprint target.

Prior to UOB, 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.

As at 10.46am, shares in UOB are down 9 cents or 0.35% lower at $25.86.