Trouble at StanChart?

Banking giant Standard Chartered today scotched speculation about imminent changes in its top leadership due to “investor pressure”, even as reports suggested that Pakistani-origin Naguib Kheraj could be its next Chairman.

The UK-based bank, which has a significant focus on Asia including India and has three Indians on its board, has been facing pressure from its shareholders amid falling share price and repeated profit warnings.

Amid speculation that some large investors were gunning for changes in top leadership positions, including that of CEO Peter Sands and Chairman John Peace, the bank issued a statement this morning that its board was “united in its support of both Sands and Peace“.

Besides Peace and Sands, the board comprises Andy Halford (Group Finance Director) and three Executive Directors — Jaspal Bindra, V Shankar and Mike Rees.

In addition to Bindra and Shankar, the board of StanChart, which is also listed in India, also includes another Indian former State Bank of India Chief O P Bhatt as an independent non-executive director.

Naguib Kheraj likely successor

According to media reports, another non-executive director Naguib Kheraj’s name is doing the rounds as a possible successor to Peace as Chairman.

“If Sir John were to go, Naguib Kheraj, a current non-executive and the former Barclays finance director, is widely seen as a natural successor,” a report in Financial Times said.

The report said “earlier suggestions that Sands could be elevated to chairman have been dismissed by insiders”.

Among current board members of StanChart, Bindra is Group Executive Director & CEO for Asia, while Shankar is Group Executive Director & CEO for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Americas.

Among large global banks, Germany’s Deutsche Bank currently has Indian-origin Anshu Jain as one of the two co-CEOs. Besides, US banking giant Citigroup had Vikram Pandit as its global chief till 2012.

Incidentally, weeks before Pandit was appointed as Citigroup chief in late 2007, there were reports about Pakistani-origin Shaukat Aziz also being in the race for the top job at the banking major.

As per another report in the Times daily, institutional shareholders are saying that “there was a widespread feeling that the leadership team needed refreshing after two profit warnings in seven months and pointed to Sands as their preferred scalp.”

The Times quoted one unnamed top-ten shareholder of the Asia-focused bank as having “voiced a growing frustration that the bank needed a hands-on manager rather than a high-level thinker“.

Weighing succession plan

The Financial Times reported that the chairman of Standard Chartered was weighing a succession plan that could see Sands replaced as CEO amid pressure from shareholders.

“Sir John Peace has been urged to conduct a search both internally and externally over the next 12 months,” the report said, quoting unnamed sources, while adding that the chairman might, himself, resign once a new CEO is found.

Board stands by Sands, Peace

In its statement, the bank said its “board wants to be absolutely clear that it is united in its support of both Sands and Peace, and the management team, in delivering the refreshed strategy, restoring the bank to profitable growth and delivering returns for our shareholders.”

Robust and considered succession plans are in place for all of the senior leaders, the bank said, adding “we take our board succession extremely seriously and discuss this topic with our shareholders on a regular basis.”

“We will ensure orderly succession takes place at the appropriate times, and only in a responsible manner consistent with full market transparency,” the statement said.

“We do not accept these media rumours. No succession planning is taking place as a result of recent investor pressure,” it added.

COMMENT NOW