António Pedro dos Santos Simões

Education

António was born in Lisbon in 1975. He graduated from Nova School of Business & Economics in Lisbon. He read Economics and received several awards, including the award for top student in his graduating class.

He holds a master's degree in Business Administration from Columbia University. During his studies he was a teaching assistant for Managerial Economics and Capital Markets. He graduated with honours and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma honour society. In the fall of 2000, as part of the MBA programme, he spent a semester at the Bocconi University in Milan.

Antonio attended the Global Leadership and Public Policy program at Harvard Kennedy school. The program is designed by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the World Economic Forum for Young Global Leaders.

Early career

In 1997, António joined McKinsey & Company as a business analyst in their Iberian office.

In 2000, António worked at Goldman Sachs in London, as an associate serving financial institutions in Investment Banking.

He returned to McKinsey as an associate in their London office where he was later elected a partner. During his career at McKinsey, he worked across several geographies serving mainly financial services client. His focus included Strategy and Risk Management, with contributions to McKinsey Quarterly and other publications.

Career with HSBC

António joined HSBC in 2007 to lead Group Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions activities reporting to Stephen Green, then Group Chairman of HSBC holdings. In October 2009 he assumed responsibilities also for Planning, reporting to the Group CEO, Michael Geoghegan relocating to Hong Kong for two years. In an interview to his Alma mater António said 'I took 58 long-haul flights in 2011 alone...I don't get the work life balance right all the time'. António was appointed a Group General Manager in 2011 and became also Chief of Staff to the Group CEO, Stuart Gulliver.

In January 2012, he relocated back to London and was appointed European head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management (RBWM), including responsibility for Asset Management and Insurance.

On 1 November 2012, he was appointed CEO of HSBC in the UK and deputy Chief Executive, of HSBC Bank plc, the Group's principal UK and continental European subsidiary. He became a Director of HSBC Bank plc on 1 February 2012. He is also a Director of the French and Turkish subsidiary boards (until September 2014) of HSBC Bank plc.

Since 1 September 2015 Antonio is the Chief Executive HSBC Bank plc, with responsibility for the UK and Continental Europe. When he assumed that position he also joined the Group Management Board, HSBC's Group Executive Committee.

He has been a member of the Practitioner Panel of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA, conduct regulator for UK financial services industry) since July 2013 and became chair of the panel in August 2015. He was member of the Practitioner Panel of the Prudential Regulations Authority (PRA, prudential regulator for UK financial services industry) in November 2013.

António has been leading a review of the UK financial services trade association in the UK on behalf of ten banking service providers.

In April 2015, he joined the Banking Standards Board, created to promote high ethical and behaviorial standards in the Banking industry, as practitioner member.

Commitments

In 2009, he was appointed a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and is a regular delegate at the annual meeting in Davos.

He is a vocal campaigner on youth unemployment issues and is involved with the Prince’s Trust which is supported by HSBC as part of their Opportunity partnership programme, which also supports Tomorrow's people, Catch22 and St Giles Trust.

In 2012, he was invited to be a founding member of Conselho da Diáspora Portuguesa (World Portuguese Network), a group of Portuguese people living abroad advising the Portuguese presidency.

He is a regular speaker in industry forums on the future of the financial services industry, including the impact of digital technologies in banking.

Personal life

In January 2015 António came first at the Out at Work & Telegraph Top 50 LGBT Executives list, which celebrates individuals making a difference at the workplace. OUTstanding in Business together with the Financial Times nominated him as the most inspiring LGBT senior business executive in October 2013. As part of the European Diversity Awards 2013, António was also awarded the Diversity Champion of the Year. He is known to be passionate about diversity and said in an interview 'I know that when I look back at my life...it won't be the complex spreadsheets or the long hours that I had to do at Goldman Sachs or at McKinsey that I will be remembering but rather the difference I made to the thousands of people that work with me and that flourished for what they were, regardless of their background or life choices'.

António has contributed to several books, including Lord Browne's The Glass Closet and Stephen Frost's The Inclusion Imperative.

He is married since 2007 and lives in London.