Ex-Peregrine high-flyer lands at HSBC
The merry-go-round in corporate communications among the big banks in Hong Kong continues with what we feel is an interesting development at HSBC. Some months ago, HSBC's Asia head of corporate communications Cindy Tang departed.
We gather that her position is shortly to be filled by Tom Grimmer. Until recently, he was managing partner, China, with Kreab & Gavin Anderson, and prior to that spent about 11 years as head of corporate communications and a consultant with Credit Suisse.
Older journalists recall him as the last man standing at Peregrine Investments, that mercurial house run by Philip Tose and Francis Leung that blew up spectacularly in 1998. As the bankers departed out of the back door, Grimmer addressed the press assembled at the front of the office and delivered the sad message that the firm was bust.
He and his wife Li Hui are something of a power couple. She was a well-regarded head of China research with stockbrokers CLSA for a number of years before leaving to pursue other projects in Beijing. For Grimmer, it's a kind of homecoming.
We're sure that he won't mind us saying that he spent a brief period with our own illustrious organ.
