People Moves
Ping An Appoints New Co-Chief Executive

The financial services group, which among other moves is an important shareholder in HSBC, has announced changes in its C-suite roster.
Ping An, the Chinese
insurance group that has tussled
with HSBC in a bid to break the bank up, said it has
appointed Michael Guo Xiaotao – current chief human resources
officer – as its co-chief executive. The appointment takes effect
immediately.
Simultaneously, the firm has accepted Jessica Tan’s resignation
as co-CEO and as executive vice president for “personal and
family reasons,” according to a statement this week.
Tan will continue to work at Ping An until 31 December.
Guo joined Ping An Group in September 2019, serving in a number
of roles. Prior to joining Ping An, Guo was a global partner and
managing director at Boston Consulting.
Ping An has made waves by its calls on HSBC to be broken up,
unlocking the value it says is being hampered by its current
structure. (Ping An owns a stake in the UK/Hong Kong-listed
lender.) The firm has been building a stake in the lender since
2017. The group first proposed to split off HSBC’s Asian
operations in April 2022. HSBC has rebuffed such calls, saying
that its global model and integrated structure would make a
breakup a damaging and unwise move. Recent strong financial
results at HSBC appear to have cooled Ping An’s demands.