Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) announced today (Wednesday) the appointment of Paul Kennedy as Group Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.

Mr Kennedy will report to Chief Executive Charles Li and will be a member of the Management Committee.

As Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr Kennedy will head the Finance Division and assume full responsibility for the financial and treasury functions of the HKEx group.

Mr Kennedy has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.  He has spent most of his career in Asia, including over 15 years as a financial services partner with KPMG both in Hong Kong and as Managing Partner of KPMG's Shanghai office from 2000 until 2005. From 2006 until 2010, Mr Kennedy served as Chief Operating Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission and subsequently worked as a Managing Director within HSBC Hong Kong’s Global Banking Division.  Most recently, since November 2012, Mr Kennedy has been serving as a Special Adviser to the Chief Executive of HKEx with a focus on financial matters, including the integration of London Metal Exchange.

Mr Kennedy was selected through an open recruitment process by a selection panel of independent non-executive directors.

Mr Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Financial Administration from the University of Bangor in the United Kingdom.  He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

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