OCBC appoints Carina Lee as new group chief risk officer

OCBC has appointed Carina Lee – its current group chief credit officer for the wholesale banking business – as its new group chief risk officer, with effect from Jan 1, 2026.

Lee succeeds Noel Gerald DCruz, who will retire from the bank on Dec 31, 2025, OCBC said in a statement on Wednesday (Sep 24).

Lee will also join the bank’s management committee. She joined OCBC in January 2021, and was responsible for managing the credit risks of OCBC’s wholesale banking loan portfolio, covering small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporates, financial institutions, sovereigns and counterparties.

She currently chairs the group credit risk management committee, and previously served as a director on the board of OCBC China from June 2021 to June 2025.

Lee has led various key initiatives to boost OCBC’s credit policies, processes, systems and counterparty credit risk capabilities, the bank said.

Prior to joining OCBC, Lee was with Standard Chartered Bank, where she held several senior leadership roles across business and risk functions. These include positions in operational risk management, and credit policy and processes for its wholesale banking business.

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OCBC group chief executive Helen Wong said Lee is highly regarded as a strong leader who brings a well-calibrated approach to risk and reward.

“Given the increased volatility and uncertainty in the operating environment we face today, the ability to manage risks effectively is more critical than ever,” she said.

Meanwhile, OCBC veteran DCruz will be retiring after a 36-year career at the bank.

During his time as the group chief risk officer, the 65-year-old launched several programmes to increase oversight of non-financial risks, which include operational resilience, cybersecurity, third-party risk management, artificial intelligence governance and data loss.

DCruz had also been the head of risk portfolio management, where he drove the implementation of data driven risk quantification approaches for the bank’s credit portfolios and emerging risks identification.