DBS pair scoop Asia Risk risk manager of the year award

Two risk managers at the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) have picked up Asia Risk’s first risk manager of the year award. Oon Kum Loon, who was head of group risk management at the bank until July, and is now chief financial officer, shared the award with Chng Sok Hui, the new head of group risk management, who was previously responsible for the bank’s credit risk, market risk and asset liability functions.

The pair were given the award for fostering strong and effective enterprise-wide risk management across the bank during its period of wide-scale expansion – DBS is growing rapidly to establish itself as a major regional bank with overseas assets, including DBS Kwong On Bank in Hong Kong, DBS Thai Danu Bank in Thailand and its purchase of Hong Kong’s Dao Heng Bank in June 2001.

Last December, the group was the first Asian bank to launch a balance-sheet synthetic collateralised loan obligation, aimed at freeing up regulatory capital. The transaction shifted the credit risk on a S$2.8 billion ($1.57 billion) reference portfolio of Singaporean loans via a special-purpose vehicle called Alco 1. The deal included a S$2.45 billion super-senior tranche, a mezzanine portion of four rated tranches worth S$224 million, and a first-loss tranche of S$126 million retained by the bank. The deal had targeted S$180 million in capital relief, although it is believed the actual figure was slightly higher.

Meanwhile, Nathan Morrison, treasurer and head of risk management at Australia’s Quantas Airways, scooped Asia Risk’s corporate risk manager of the year award. In other award categories, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) won regulator of the year; and Korea Stock Exchange (KSE) picked up derivatives exchange of the year.