Standard Chartered’s Francois Verlaine Wins APAC Industry Award

Francois Verlaine, managing director and head of ASEAN and South Asia for financing and securities services at Standard Chartered, was named Global Custodian’s Asia-Pacific Industry Person of the Year after a live delegate vote at the Leaders in Custody event last night.

Verlaine was chosen from four finalists: Alvin Chia of Northern Trust, Rehan Ahmed of Marketnode and Wai Mei Hong of JP Morgan. Delegates at the event cast ballots that determined the winner.

On stage, Verlaine thanked colleagues and peers and acknowledged the other nominees.

His nomination reflected expansion of Standard Chartered’s securities services over the past 12 months. The bank broadened client coverage beyond traditional global custodian and broker-dealer clients into investor, asset-owner and insurance segments across ASEAN and South Asia.

Under Verlaine’s leadership the bank extended product and client coverage in the region and strengthened market positions in several ASEAN jurisdictions. The securities services business has recorded consistent placements in Global Custodian’s Agent Banks in Emerging Markets surveys, with several ASEAN markets ranking among both global and local outperformers during his tenure.

Verlaine joined Standard Chartered in 2013 and has held senior roles including leading strategy and new business development for securities services. He spent more than eight years at JP Morgan in product, sales and strategic business development across investor services and began his career in strategy consulting.

Organisers described the live vote as giving attendees direct input into the selection. The award recognizes individual leadership and measurable contributions to custody and securities services in the Asia-Pacific region.