Tengku Zafrul Aziz honoured for a career spanning nearly three decades across financial services, public policy and national leadership, characterised by banking transformation, crisis stewardship and structural economic and investment reform. Hironori Kamezawa's leadership at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has delivered sustained improvements in financial performance, strategic coherence and global positioning. Kevin Lam’s leadership at Hong Leong Bank has strengthened financial outcomes, operational capabilities and the quality of its franchise. Promising Young Bankers including Angelia Toh, Arshad Nuval Othman, David Lim, Harry Sofri Putranda, Nur Jannah Nor'azam and Terence Tan recognised for meaningful organisational impact, commercial responsibility and leadership maturity. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) was recognised for its anticipatory, multi-dimensional approach to systemic risk management that sets global standards. Kuala Lumpur, 13 May 2026 – Leading executives, institutions and top regulators received recognition for exceptional leadership, institutional impact and regulatory excellence at the TAB Global Leadership Achievement Awards Presentation Ceremony and Gala Dinner, held in conjunction with The Asian Banker Summit 2026, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tengku Zafrul Aziz was honoured with the William ‘Bill’ Seidman Award for Lifetime Achievement. Hironori Kamezawa was named the Global CEO of the Year, while Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) was recognised as the Global Bank of the Year. Kevin Lam was recognised as Best Bank CEO in Malaysia and Hong Leong Bank as Best Managed Bank in Malaysia. Angelia Toh of BNY, Arshad Nuval Othman of CIMB Islamic Bank, David Lim of Alliance Bank Malaysia, Harry Sofri Putranda of Bank Mandiri, Nur Jannah Nor’azam of CIMB Islamic Bank and Terence Tan of Bank of America were presented with Promising Young Banker Awards. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) was recognised as the Best Systemic and Prudential Regulator in APAC. William ‘Bill’ Seidman Award for Lifetime Achievement Tengku Zafrul, chairman of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), was honoured with the William “Bill” Seidman Lifetime Leadership Achievement Award for a lifetime of leadership, institutional impact and public service across financial services, government and national economic development. He has built a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades across financial services, public policy and national leadership. What sets his career apart is not simply the breadth of roles he has held, but a consistent ability to lead through complexity, drive transformation and deliver measurable, sustained outcomes. Global CEO and Bank of the Year Hironori Kamezawa, chairman of MUFG, received the Global CEO of the Year award from TAB Global, recognising his outstanding demonstration of global leadership in shaping one of the world's most internationally connected and strategically ambitious financial institutions. Under his leadership, MUFG is also recognised as the Global Bank of the Year. He led a multi-year transformation of MUFG anchored in disciplined execution, portfolio optimisation, cultural change and platform-led expansion, building a more globally integrated, strategically coherent and internationally competitive franchise with the confidence and ambition to lead on the world stage. Best Bank CEO and Best Managed Bank in Malaysia Kevin Lam, group managing director and chief executive officer of Hong Leong Bank, received the Best Bank CEO in Malaysia award for his outstanding demonstration of leadership in building institutional strength, elevating execution excellence and positioning an enduring franchise for its next chapter of growth and relevance. Under his leadership, Hong Leong Bank is also recognised as the Best Managed Bank in Malaysia. Through sustained transformation anchored in strategic clarity and rigorous execution, he has strengthened Hong Leong Bank's financial outcomes, operational capabilities and franchise quality. Promising Young Banker Awards Angelia Toh, trade finance structurer, global payments and trade, APAC, at BNY, was recognised for commercialising trade finance solutions and leading the digital transformation of legacy trade operations across APAC. Arshad Nuval Othman, head of sustainable finance at CIMB Islamic Bank, was recognised for expanding sustainable finance and shaping Malaysia’s energy transition through advisory, policy engagement and cross-sector collaboration. David Lim, head of credit card and personal loan product development at Alliance Bank Malaysia, was recognised for spearheading the bank’s digital unsecured lending strategy across credit cards and personal loans. Harry Sofri Putranda, vice president of digital experience and strategy at Bank Mandiri, was recognised for delivering sustained digital banking transformation, ecosystem-led growth and data-driven strategic leadership. Nur Jannah Nor’azam, head of the Islamic Business Management Office at CIMB Islamic Bank, was recognised for advancing Islamic banking governance, capital markets innovation and the enterprise-wide integration of Islamic business priorities. Terence Tan, chief operating officer of global payments solutions, APAC at Bank of America, was recognised for strengthening operational governance, commercial discipline and cross-functional collaboration. Regulation and Supervision Award The MAS was recognised for its multi-dimensional prudential approach, combining structural market development, digital asset integrity, and enhanced financial crime defences. Its anticipatory and globally-aligned framework positioned it as the Best Systemic and Prudential Regulator in APAC. About the William “Bill” Seidman Lifetime Leadership Achievement Award The William "Bill" Seidman Lifetime Leadership Achievement Award is named in honour of one of the most consequential figures in modern financial supervision and crisis leadership. Bill Seidman, former chairman of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, was widely respected for his role in restoring confidence and stability during the American savings and loan crisis, and later served as an advisor to TAB Global. This award stands apart as a recognition not of a single achievement, but of a lifetime of consequential leadership. It is reserved for individuals whose influence has extended beyond the institutions they led to shape the broader direction, resilience and evolution of financial services itself. Recipients are leaders who have demonstrated not only exceptional strategic judgement and execution, but the moral clarity to lead through uncertainty, crisis and transformation. They are individuals whose decisions have carried institutional, national and often international consequence, and whose standing commands enduring respect among peers, policymakers, regulators and the industry at large. This is not simply a career recognition. It is a statement about legacy. About the Global CEO and Bank of the Year Awards The TAB Global Leadership Achievement Awards recognise leadership at the highest levels of global financial services. Among them, the Global CEO of the Year Award represents the most distinguished honour that can be conferred on an incumbent banking leader. It recognises a chief executive or chairperson whose leadership has not only delivered exceptional institutional performance, but has shaped competitive direction, market confidence and the strategic agenda of banking itself. Recipients are leaders whose decisions resonate well beyond their own institutions and whose stewardship defines standards for the global industry. Presented alongside it, the Global Bank of the Year Award reflects the conviction that exceptional leadership must ultimately be evidenced in the institution itself. Great leadership is not performative. It builds franchises that are resilient, strategically coherent, commercially successful and built to endure across cycles. Together, these awards recognise the rare combination of visionary leadership and institutional excellence at the highest level of international banking. About the CEO Leadership Achievement and Best Managed Bank Awards The TAB Global CEO Leadership Achievement Award is among the most selective leadership distinctions in financial services, recognising chief executives whose leadership has materially transformed the performance, direction and standing of their institutions. It is not awarded for short-term success or isolated performance metrics. It recognises leadership that delivers sustained strategic outcomes, organisational discipline, commercial strength and the confidence of stakeholders across customers, shareholders, regulators and employees. Presented alongside it, the Best Managed Bank Award reflects a complementary principle: that leadership is ultimately measured by the institution it builds. The strongest banks do not emerge by accident. They are the product of disciplined execution, coherent strategy, operational resilience and a culture capable of sustaining performance over time. The Best Managed Bank Award recognises institutions that embody those qualities and stand as benchmarks within their markets. Together, these awards celebrate leadership not as title or personality, but as institutional achievement made visible. About the Promising Young Banker Awards Established in 2008, and conferred every three years, the Promising Young Banker Awards were created to recognise one of the most critical but often overlooked priorities in financial services: the deliberate development of the next generation of leadership. The award identifies exceptional leaders under the age of 40 from banks, non-bank financial institutions and financial technology companies who are already demonstrating meaningful organisational impact, commercial responsibility and leadership maturity beyond their years. These are not rising talents selected for potential alone. They are individuals already carrying significant business, strategic or operational responsibility, shaping teams, influencing culture and delivering measurable outcomes within increasingly demanding and complex institutions. Over the years, many recipients have gone on to assume larger regional and global leadership roles, making the programme both a recognition of present achievement and an indicator of future influence. At a time when financial services is being reshaped by technology, regulation, shifting customer expectations and geopolitical complexity, this award shines a light on the leaders who will define what comes next. About the Regulation and Supervision Awards The TAB Global Regulation and Supervision Awards recognise the institutions that carry one of the most important responsibilities in financial services: safeguarding stability, trust and fairness across the financial system. While commercial institutions compete, regulators and central banks provide the architecture within which confidence is built and preserved. Their effectiveness often becomes most visible not in periods of calm, but in moments of volatility, disruption and systemic stress. The awards evaluate excellence across three critical dimensions. First, macroeconomic stewardship, including the management of inflation, monetary credibility and broader price stability. Second, prudential and systemic supervision, focused on the resilience, soundness and integrity of the financial system itself. Third, conduct of business regulation, encompassing market behaviour, licensing frameworks, governance standards and the fair treatment of consumers and market participants. These awards recognise institutions whose work often takes place outside the spotlight, but whose effectiveness underpins the functioning, credibility and long-term health of modern financial systems. Visit https://tabglobalawards.com/leadership/ and https://tabglobalawards.com/regulation&supervision/ for details. About TAB Global TAB Global owns and manages a number of world class digital content platforms namely, The Asian Banker, Wealth and Society, BankQuality.com as well as learning platforms like The Banking Academy and The Skill Store. Incorporated in Singapore, it has offices in Beijing, Dubai and support offices in Kuala Lumpur and Manila, with plans to expand to Johannesburg, London, Zurich and New York. Visit https://www.tab.global/ for details. Media Contact Nanda Lakhwani Editor TAB Global Email: nlakhwani@tab.global
