HKEX appoints Johnson Chui to attract global companies to Hong Kong bourse

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), operator of Asia’s third-largest stock exchange, has hired veteran investment banker Johnson Chui as managing director and head of global issuer services. In this new role, Chui will lead teams tasked with attracting international companies to raise funds in Hong Kong, thereby diversifying the issuer base, which has so far been dominated by mainland Chinese companies.

With over 25 years of experience in capital markets, Chui has worked at leading institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Nomura, helping companies raise capital. His appointment comes as HKEX seeks to position itself as a preferred destination for initial public offerings (IPOs) and attract international listings, having signed agreements with stock exchanges in the Middle East, Indonesia and other markets for cross-listings.

Chui’s appointment comes as Hong Kong steps up efforts to regain its position as a global financial hub. The city, which was the world’s top IPO destination for seven of the past 15 years, has seen a surge in listing activity in the second half of the year. During the second quarter, 18 companies, including AI-powered drug researcher QuantumPharm, raised a total of HK$8.6 billion (US$1.1 billion), up 79% compared with the first three months of the year.

HKEX and Xi’an government strengthen ties to facilitate Hong Kong listings

The effort to attract international listings and diversify the investor base has also been supported by recent measures by the Chinese government to strengthen Hong Kong’s capital market. New HKEX strategies include lowering the minimum threshold for non-revenue technology companies to launch IPOs and lowering the transaction threshold for listings through special purpose acquisition companies.

Johnson Chui, who joins HKEX from Nomura, where he was a managing director and head of equity capital markets for Asia ex-Japan, will bring extensive experience in international markets. Prior to Nomura, Chui spent 18 years at Credit Suisse, serving as head of equity capital markets for Asia Pacific, and also held investment banking roles at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong.

HKEX Deputy Chief Executive Wilfred Yiu Ka-yan expressed confidence that Chui’s addition will strengthen HKEX’s position as a leading global stock exchange, capable of attracting international issuers and continuing to promote Hong Kong as a top-tier financial centre. With his experience, Chui will be instrumental in HKEX’s strategy to expand its influence in global markets and attract a greater number of foreign companies to the Hong Kong exchange.