Alan Keir

Alan Keir has been a Group Managing Director and Global Head of Commercial Banking since January 2011.

Mr Keir began his career with HSBC in the International Division of Midland Bank in 1981. He completed the graduate training programme and took up his first managerial position in charge of graduate recruitment and development for the International Division.

Mr Keir transferred to the Corporate Banking Division of Midland in 1986 to become manager, Shipping Group. In 1987, he was seconded to the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers spending two years involved in regulatory issues. He returned to the division in 1989 and was appointed to head one of the Corporate Banking Divisions within Midland Bank’s head office in 1990.

In September 1994, Mr Keir was seconded to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, as senior manager, International Corporate Accounts, responsible for overseeing the Group’s major global corporate relationships in Asia and additionally for the global cash management business throughout the region.

In August 1997 he returned to head office to take up the role of head of Retail Credit and Risk, Central Credit, and in December 1998 was appointed to general manager, Midlands Division, responsible for the branch network in the Midlands. In April 2003 he moved to HSBC headquarters at Canary Wharf as the general manager responsible for the Commercial Banking business. In November 2003 Mr Keir was also appointed global co-head of the Group’s commercial banking activities.

In May 2008 Mr Keir was appointed Group General Manager, Commercial Banking, Europe and also Global Co-Head, Global Commercial Banking; he has also served on the Board of HSBC Turkey AS.

Mr Keir was born in Scotland. He took a BSc in Economics and Politics at the University of Bradford and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. He is married and has one son.