12-03-2025
DBS' First Female CEO Faces Headwinds, Sees AI as Game Changer
By and Joyce Koh
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When Barings Bank collapsed in 1995, Tan Su Shan lost her job and was evicted after her Hong Kong landlord thought she might not be able to pay rent. Her long-term boyfriend broke up with her the same week. Two years later, she decided to take a pay cut to join another firm.
Tan credits the setbacks with helping to shape her 'inner strength' early in a banking career that will soon propel the 57-year-old Singaporean into the industry's top echelons. She is set to become the first female Chief Executive Officer of DBS Group Holdings Ltd. on March 28, taking over from Piyush Gupta, who has run Southeast Asia's largest lender for 15 years.
