A 22-year capital markets veteran, Li Tong is the first female chief executive of BOCI, the oldest and one of the largest Chinese investment banks.
Since taking the helm in 2012, Li has not only promoted BOCI’s all-round development but also helped the bank build a more extensive network onshore and offshore.
Li has kept a low-key media profile for years. In a rare interview, she told FinanceAsia that China’s future growth will be key to BOCI’s future. “It brings us a huge market. China will always be our base ... even when we look abroad.”
She added the direction of the bank’s overseas expansion will follow China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
“As a Chinese investment bank, BOCI should certainly support the national strategy. But from the business perspective, there’re also a lot of opportunities,” she said. “Projects need capital markets for more financing through bonds or syndicated loans.”
In June, BOCI led the parent Bank of China’s $3.55 billion Silk Road bond issuance, the world’s first multibillion four-currency bond, in an effort to fund the country’s belt and road-related projects.
Under her leadership, BOCI has performed strongly in debt capital markets and expanded its footprint in IPOs and M&A, participating in multiple landmark transactions, such as Shuanghui International’s $7.1 billion acquisition of Smithfield Foods and its Hong Kong IPO as well as China Minmetal’s $7 billion acquisition of the Las Bambas copper mine.
An amateur interior designer, Li started her career at BOC Group in 1993. During her tenure there, Li managed 4,000 employees globally and has held a variety of roles both in commercial and investment banking in Greater China and overseas.
FinanceAsia’s 2015 honour roll of the most influential women across the Asia Pacific region spans investment and commercial bankers.
Published as a feature in the July / August 2015 print edition of FinanceAsia, the series also presents leading women in new areas of finance such as fintech where Asian companies are among the fastest-growing in the world.
We also canvassed corporate financiers for exceptional women working in deal advisory including lawyers and accountants. In the process of researching the series, we found evidence of progress in creating more diverse workplaces in the region.
