Stephen Green, Baron Green of Hurstpierpoint
| The Right Honourable The Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint |
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|---|---|
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| Minister of State for Trade and Investment | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 11 January 2011 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Mark Prisk |
| Group Chairman of HSBC Group | |
| In office 26 May 2006 – 3 December 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | John Bond |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Flint |
| Group Chief Executive of HSBC Group | |
| In office 1 June 2003 – 26 May 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Keith Whitson |
| Succeeded by | Michael Geoghegan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 November 1948 |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Lancing College Exeter College, Oxford University of Oxford Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Stephen Keith Green, Baron Green of Hurstpierpoint (born 7 November 1948) is a British Conservative politician, the current Minister of State for Trade and Investment, and former Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc.
Contents |
Career [edit]
Green was educated at Lancing College and Exeter College, Oxford and received a master's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He began his career with the British Government's Ministry of Overseas Development. In 1977 he joined McKinsey & Co Inc. management consultants, with whom he undertook assignments in Europe, North America and the Middle East.
He joined The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in 1982 with responsibility for corporate planning activities, and in 1985 was put in charge of the development of the bank's global treasury operations. In 1992 he became Group Treasurer of HSBC Holdings plc with responsibility for the HSBC Group's treasury and capital markets businesses globally.
In March 1998 Green was appointed to the Board of HSBC Holdings plc as Executive Director of Investment Banking and Markets, responsible for the investment banking, private banking and asset management activities of the Group. He assumed additional responsibility for the Group's corporate banking business in May 2002. His appointment as Group Chief Executive took effect on 1 June 2003. Green oversaw the acquisition and integration of the U.S. consumer-finance group Household International, which represented HSBC's largest acquisition in a series of acquisitions made in the five years prior to Green's appointment as chief executive.
In January 2005, Green became Chairman of HSBC Bank plc, the group's UK clearing bank subsidiary. On 28 November 2005, HSBC announced that he would become Group Executive Chairman when Sir John Bond retired on 26 May 2006. Shortly after Green became Chairman, Bloomberg Markets magazine reported that HSBC was allowing money-laundering by drug dealers and state sponsors of terrorism. Green said that “This was a singular and wholly irresponsible attack on the bank’s international compliance procedures.” but subsequent investigation indicated that it was accurate and that the money-laundering continued throughout Green's tenure as Chairman. Green's successor at the top of HSBC, Stuart Gulliver, said “between 2004 and 2010, our anti-money laundering controls should have been stronger and more effective and we failed to spot and deal with unacceptable behaviour.”[1]
In September 2010, it was announced he would join the UK's Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government in early 2011 as the Minister of State for Trade and Investment in an unpaid capacity.[2][3] He stepped down as Group Chairman of HSBC on 3 December 2010 and was replaced by Douglas Flint.[4] To enable him to be accountable to Parliament, he was created a life peer on 16 November 2010 as Baron Green of Hurstpierpoint, of Hurstpierpoint in the County of West Sussex,[5] and was introduced in the House of Lords on 22 November. He became Minister of State for Trade and Investment in both the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 11 January 2011.
Other [edit]
Some of his prior directorships included The Bank of Bermuda Limited, HSBC Mexico, SA and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. He was also Chairman of HSBC Private Banking Holdings (Suisse) SA and HSBC North America Holdings Inc., Deputy Chairman of HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG and was a board member of HSBC France. In 2005 he was appointed a Trustee of the British Museum, a position from which he resigned before his appointment to Minister of State.[6]
Personal life [edit]
Green is an ordained priest in the Church of England,[7] having studied theology at Manchester University's Northern Ordination course while in Hong Kong,[8] and he is the author of the book "Serving God? Serving Mammon?".[9]
Green was awarded an honorary doctor's degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 2010.[10]
He is married to Janian and has two daughters, Suzannah and Ruth. He has a sister called Elizabeth who lives in the USA and a brother, George Francis Green, who is Professor of Labour Economics and Skills Development at the Institute of Education, University of London.
Criticism [edit]
His reputation was damaged by revelations of his bank's role in the credit crisis, breaking US sanctions against Iran and laundering money for Columbian and Mexican drug cartels.[11]
Quotes [edit]
- "With the benefit of hindsight, this is an acquisition we wish we had not undertaken", Stephen Green, HSBC's chairman, said, referring to HSBC's $15Bn acquisition of the sub-prime lender Household International in 2003.[12]
- Green on the banking industry: "The industry has done many things wrong. It is important to remember that many ordinary bankers have always sought to provide good service to their customers; but we must also recognise that there have been too many who have profoundly damaged the industry's reputation."[13]
- "Underlying all these events is a question about the culture and ethics of the industry. It is as if, too often, people had given up asking whether something was the right thing to do, and focused only whether it was legal and complied with the rules. The industry needs to recover a sense of what is right and suitable as a key impulse for doing business."[14]
- McKinsey News (March 20, 2006) quoted Green saying this on making acquisitions: "We use four criteria when approaching acquisitions – financial value creation, client and product portfolio synergies, systems integration, and the fourth is ‘culture.’ We ask, ‘will the cultures mesh? Is there a good human fit in the way we do business?’ We consider this very seriously because we know that a cultural clash would be devastating for our shared ethos."[15]
References [edit]
- ^ "HSBC money-laundering scandal casts a cloud over Lord Green, the trade minister". the Daily Telegraph. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ^ "Stephen Green appointed as UK Minister for Trade and Investment" (Press release). bdo.uk.com. 7 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ "Experienced banker takes Government trade role". UK Trade & Investment. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ "HSBC announces new leadership team" (Press release). HSBC Holdings plc. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 59609. p. 22333. 19 November 2010.
- ^ "British Museum Trustees". Number10.gov.uk. 8 July 2005.
- ^ "The real power behind No 10". The Independent (London). 27 June 2005. Retrieved 27 March 2010. More than one of
|work=and|journal=specified (help) - ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory under "The Reverend Prebendary The Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint"
- ^ Crowter, Harold S. (November 1996). "Serving God? Serving Mammon? (Book Review)". evangelicals Now.
- ^ "Stephen Green, HSBC Chairman, Receives Honorary Doctorate". SOAS eNews (12). March 2010.
- ^ "Bleak day for British banking as Libor arrests follow record fine for HSBC". Guardian.
- ^ Croft, Jane (2 March 2009). "Risky US purchase rued in hindsight". Financial Times.
- ^ Hosking, Patrick (3 March 2009). "HSBC's Stephen Green finds it's not easy to attack bonuses". The Times (London). Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ Lynch, Russell (2 March 2009). "HSBC in bid to raise £12.5bn". The Independent (London). Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Stephen Green (77-82 LON, NYO) Leads HSBC to the Crossroads of the World". McKinsey News. 20 March 2006.
External links [edit]
- "Video: Stephen Green discusses his book 'Good Value' and the need for corporate social responsibility". Asia Society New York. 17 February 2010.
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Keith Whitson |
Group Chief Executive of HSBC Group 2003–2006 |
Succeeded by Michael Geoghegan |
| Preceded by John Bond |
Group Chairman of HSBC Group 2006–2010 |
Succeeded by Douglas Flint |
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