Standard Chartered Malaysia Celebrates 140th Anniversary
Kuala Lumpur, 8 April 2015 – Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia (“the Bank”) today marked the Bank’s 140th anniversary of its founding with a gala dinner graced by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak.
Also in attendance were the Bank’s Board of Directors, Group and Regional senior management, and more than 300 clients and guests.
The Bank set up its first branch in 1875 on Beach Street, Penang during the tin and rubber boom. It is the first bank in Malaysia, and remains fully operational today. Some clients have been with the Bank for three generations, and multi-generations of the same family have been known to work at the Bank
YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Mohd Sheriff bin Mohd Kassim, Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, said, “As Malaysia’s oldest bank, we take a long-term view of our role as a responsible corporate citizen. Our sustainability programmes such as Seeing is Believing, Financial Literacy and Living with HIV have touched numerous lives, while sponsorship of the KL Marathon and Liverpool Football Club promotes a healthy sporting lifestyle.”
Mahendra Gursahani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, said that Standard Chartered has thrived for 140 years by remaining true to its values.
“Our values have steered us through many boom and bust cycles since the 19th Century, and will enable us to stay focused on what we need to achieve. We remain steadfastly committed to help meet the aspirations of Malaysia and its people – true to our promise of being ‘Here for Good’,” he commented.
"Standard Chartered Bank has a significant market share for many of our products and is continuing to see opportunities to grow. We have a clear and consistent strategy and will continue to invest for growth. We want to be there to support our clients. We remain confident, strong and committed to being here for our clients in Malaysia,” Mahendra added.
For almost a century and a half, Standard Chartered has played a leading role in transforming businesses and society. Malaysia has been home to many firsts for Standard Chartered:
- In 1993, Standard Chartered became the first international bank in Malaysia to offer Islamic Banking products.
- Scope International Malaysia, set up in 2001, is the first Global Shared Services Centre of an international bank in Malaysia.
- Standard Chartered Saadiq, the Group’s Islamic Banking subsidiary, was established in Malaysia in 2008.
As part of its 140th anniversary celebrations, the Bank will focus on giving back to the communities where employees live and work. This includes 14,000 hours of Employee Volunteering and planting of 140 trees.
The Bank has also published a coffee table book titled Passage: Our Story through the Centuries, which chronicles its history and milestones in Malaysia. The book can be purchased from Level 16, Menara Standard Chartered and proceeds will go to the Standard Chartered Foundation, the Bank’s charity arm.
Dato’ Sri Najib addressing the audience
Tan Sri Dato’ Sheriff (second from right) presenting a vintage map as a memento to Dato’ Sri Najib (second from left), witnessed by Lim Cheng Teck, Chief Executive Officer, ASEAN, Standard Chartered PLC (far left) and Mahendra (far right)
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