ANTHONY WILLIAM CRIPPS, the current president and chief executive officer of Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corp. (HSBC) Philippines, has always been fascinated with Asia since he was a young lad growing in Sydney, Australia.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror held at HSBC’s office in Taguig City, Cripps enjoyed watching the Kung Fu television series starring the late David Carradine. Later on, he became a fan of the legendary kung fu superstar Bruce Lee’s films such as the Big Boss, Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. In fact, he was bitten by the martial-arts bug that he studied karate when he was assigned Hong Kong. “It was really exciting and challenging with my more than six-foot American sifu,” he recalled.

According to Cripps, his first CEO role is doubly exciting because he is assigned to an emerging market in Asia. “I think my Philippine post fits my personality because of the diversity of its people and culture. I really look at the Philippines in a positive way,” said Cripps.

“It’s a great time to be in the Philippines right now because of the confidence being displayed by the business and the people on the new administration,” he added.

He said his 24-year stint in the bank served as his training for the CEO post.

Cripps, who also serves concurrently as chairman, HSBC Savings Bank and HSBC Insurance Brokers Inc., chairman and trustee, HSBC Retirement Trust Fund Inc., and director of OCLP Holdings Inc., said the Hong Kong stint in 2000 was a meaningful experience because it broadened his horizons about the banking industry. He reported to the head of markets in Asia Pacific in addition to developing strategy. Furthermore, he built a team to plan and implement global initiatives for e-trading.

Before being appointed as president and CEO in the Philippines in August 2010, Cripps was the managing director, head of global markets, Australasia of HSBC Bank Australia Ltd., with a career in global markets spanning 20 years with management in institutional banking, treasury, trading and sales businesses, transaction banking, information technology and operations.

Cripps started his career in the financial markets in 1983 as a pit trader in financial futures. He then joined HSBC in 1986 as a Sydney Futures Exchange floor trader, eventually going on to manage Australia’s futures business. “I wanted to make money so that’s why I engaged in futures trading,” he said.

“At that time, it was the deregulation of the financial system of Australia. It was so exciting because I get paid a lot,” he added.

Cripps became head of derivatives trading for HSBC in 1990 and went on to build a highly successful treasury business. In 1997 he became head of foreign exchange and rates strategy for HSBC Asia Pacific, based in Sydney. In this high-profile role, which was ranked Top 3 in Asia Pacific for advisory, Cripps quickly became a valued resource person for financial print and broadcast media outlets who regularly asked him to weigh in on various economic and financial issues.

In 1995 Cripps went on a two-year sabbatical and created a start-up technology company, Crux Cybernetics, which specialized in soft computing for the financial markets and the telecommunications sector. Crux provided solutions to some of Australia’s largest companies. The company built transaction integration platforms for futures markets and developed quant trading strategies. During this time, he also helped establish Australia’s first CTA funds. Both businesses were subsequently sold for a profit.

“I had a fantastic time with Crux Cybernetics developing technologies that will transform banking technologies for the Internet. Moreover, it was obviously a great and diverse exposure getting the role,” Cripps said.

In 2003 Cripps moved to London assuming worldwide responsibility for e-Commerce, Global Markets. A year later, he was appointed managing director, head of e-Commerce, Corporate Investment Banking and Markets. He also became a member of the Global Markets and Transaction Banking Management Committee. Under his watch, HSBCnet became a top five global provider of Internet services. In 2005 HSBC for the first time was voted by FX Week as best bank for e-trading in foreign exchange.

“Being a global financial hub, my London assignment added luster to my diversified career exposing me to the facets of the global banking, markets and Internet services,” said Cripps, a father to three boys and a daughter.

Cripps returned to Australia in April 2006 as head of Global Markets. Under his leadership, Global Markets became a primary driver of profit growth for HSBC Australia. In addition, HSBC Markets was named for the first time as Best FX Bank, Best Debt House and the Top International Bond House.

He took up the role of head of Global Banking and Markets in 2009.  The business encompassed sales and trading (foreign exchange, rates, credit and structured derivatives), balance sheet management, institutional wealth management, debt finance and advisory, project and export finance, securities services. Under his leadership, HSBC experienced triple growth in the global banking and markets business.

As far as the Philippine posting is concerned, Cripps hopes to maximize the opportunities presented by the Philippines’ rapidly maturing emerging economy and transform HSBC Philippines into the country’s top foreign universal bank.

Being the top honcho of HSBC Philippines, Cripps cherishes the breadth of his new role through the different levels of engagement talking with various people from the public and private sectors. “I have a lot of fun meeting with people here, which I do most of the time,” he said.

Cripps is also passionately advocating the corporate social responsibility programs of HSBC to make a difference in the community. It is active in climate partnership and empowering through education programs.

Once a year, HSBC takes time off to help with Gawad Kalinga villages in the Philippines. Every year, HSBC signs up for Hands on Manila’s Serv-a-thon, an opportunity for volunteers to clock in a full day of community service. In 2007 HSBC was assigned to repaint the daycare room of the Muntinlupa Feeding and Minding Center.

The HSBC Group has been one of the world’s pioneers in addressing climate change. In May 2007 HSBC Group launched the HSBC Climate Partnership: a five-year $100-million partnership with The Climate Group, Earthwatch, The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). This amount has been the largest ever pledged to climate change by a British company.

Furthermore, HSBC Philippines launched its own local campaign—the HSBC Climate Partnership: Red, White & Green. This project aimed to educate the youth on climate change. It mobilized the HSBC workforce to become climate-change champions, as seen through their efforts in reducing HSBC carbon emissions in the Philippines.

HSBC tied up with WWF-Philippines for a three-year conservation project involving the Davao Gulf to assess the land, coastal and marine conditions of the gulf in terms of vulnerability to pesticides, mine tailings and other forms of marine pollution. One of the main outputs of the project is the development of a Pollution Management Framework. This framework will allow stakeholders to apply restrictive measures to vulnerable areas without interfering with activities in less vulnerable areas.

On the education sector, Cripps said HSBC is very active with several programs.

Future First is a five-year $10-million initiative of the HSBC Group launched in November 2006. It provides education to street children and orphans. The program supports local NGOs working directly with underprivileged children.

Three charitable institutions from the Philippines were chosen to receive $75,000 each over the next three years.

• SOS Children’s Village: A preschool education program for the SOS Children’s  Village in Iloilo and Lipa
• Childhope Asia: Educational assistance and health programs for street children in some of the country’s cities
• Philippine Christian Foundation: Education, feeding and health programs in severely depressed areas.

The HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards is a business plan-writing competition designed to foster ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit among Filipino students.

Read with Me is an innovative reading program run primarily by HSBC staff volunteers. HSBC developed and piloted this program at Pembo Elementary School, one of the largest public elementary schools in Makati City.

Knowing the crucial role of schools, HSBC is active in empowering schools to excel. In 2005 HSBC donated five world-class children’s learning and resource centers to its adopted public elementary schools.

For the past five years, HSBC has been partners with the Sa Aklat Sisikat (SAS) Foundation. This promotes the habit of reading among public elementary school students through a 31-day Reading Marathon or “Read-a-thon.”

For 2007, HSBC and SAS implemented the Read-a-thon in select public elementary schools in Taguig and Pateros, benefiting close to 10,000 students.

“What makes HSBC unique is its culture of sustainability. For HSBC, sustainability does not focus on the environment but also the people as well,” he pointed out.