James Chew is Global Head, Regulatory Strategy in the Group Public Affairs department at HSBC Holdings plc.  He considers key regulatory policy developments which will affect the Group across the world, making contributions both directly and through industry bodies.  In the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, he led HSBC's interaction with the Independent Commission on Banking on bank structural reform in the UK and also worked on the new standards in areas such as recovery and resolution planning, capital requirements, and loss-absorbing capacity.

To improve finance for small businesses in the UK post-crisis, James helped create Business Growth Fund plc, a £2.5bn growth capital company established by five banks in the UK to provide long term equity investment into small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK.  He was the interim CEO and remains a non-executive director.  He has since been actively involved in the creation of similar vehicles in Canada and Australia.  Most recently, he was a member of the EU’s High Level Forum on Capital Markets Union, and the Recapitalisation Group of TheCityUK, in the aftermath of the Covid Crisis.

James joined the HSBC Group in 1993, having previously worked in merchant banking.  He moved to the Group Planning department in 2001 and has been both Group Head of Planning and Group Head of Acquisitions and Disposals, which is responsible for shaping HSBC’s overall strategy and the plans for operating businesses, with a focus on the implications of regulatory developments on HSBC's strategy and operations.