SVP Climate, Sustainability and Reputational Risk

The core mission is to embed and steward reputational, sustainability and climate risk across HSBC Indonesia, ensuring the bank's activities align with its frameworks, policies and regulatory obligations. Day to day, this means advising business teams on reputational risks, including those tied to Net Zero commitments and greenwashing, and acting as an approver for client and transactional clearances under Sustainability Risk policies. The holder must confirm that lending under green and sustainability-linked products genuinely fits the bank's risk appetite. Beyond transaction-level work, the role supports risk stewardship over Sustainability Execution Risk and Climate Risk in Indonesia. That involves translating group-level risk frameworks into practical country processes, monitoring geopolitical developments that could affect reputation, and feeding senior stakeholders the insight they need to make informed decisions. The holder also contributes to strategic transformation initiatives, helping the business grow sustainably rather than simply constraining it. A significant part of the job is advisory and educational: providing subject-matter support to Global Businesses and Global Functions so that sustainability targets and climate risk considerations become embedded in behaviors, processes and everyday decision-making. The overarching goal is to make climate and reputational risk management a working part of how HSBC Indonesia does business, not a compliance afterthought.

This role sits at a genuinely frontier area of banking risk, so the learning curve is steep by design. The holder can expect to deepen expertise in climate risk methodologies, sustainability execution risk and reputational risk stewardship, disciplines still being standardized across the industry, which means exposure to framework-building rather than just framework-following. Working within HSBC's Enterprise Risk Management function alongside resilience, AI, strategic risk and data privacy responsibilities offers unusually broad risk exposure for a specialist role. The position also provides direct engagement with regulatory expectations in Indonesia and alignment with group-level standards, giving insight into how global frameworks are localized in a fast-growing market. Because the role supports Net Zero commitments and greenwashing risk, the holder will likely develop a sharp practical understanding of sustainable finance products, from green loans to sustainability-linked facilities, and the risk judgments they require. Less formally, the job builds executive-communication and stakeholder-influence skills: advising Global Businesses and functions, contributing to strategic transformation, and presenting to senior decision-makers. Mentorship and formal training may vary, but the daily exposure to senior stakeholders and cross-functional problem-solving is itself a significant development opportunity.

The ideal candidate likely brings substantial experience in risk management, sustainable finance or a related control function, ideally within banking or another regulated financial institution. Given the SVP title, HSBC probably expects a track record of operating at senior level, influencing executives, representing the bank with regulators, and making defensible judgments on complex, sometimes ambiguous risk questions. Familiarity with climate risk frameworks, sustainability-linked lending structures and reputational risk taxonomies would be close to essential, as would fluency in the regulatory environment of Indonesia or a comparable emerging market. On the technical side, the candidate should be comfortable with risk appetite frameworks, policy interpretation and transactional clearance decisions. The job involves approving client and deal clearances under Sustainability Risk policies, so judgment under commercial pressure matters as much as technical knowledge. An understanding of greenwashing risk and the ability to spot where Net Zero claims could be challenged is a distinctive plus. The soft skills are explicitly flagged: the ability to present complex technical concepts persuasively to non-technical audiences, to work both independently and in a team, and to act as a constructive change agent. A candidate who can challenge diplomatically while helping the business grow safely, rather than simply saying no, is likely to fit HSBC's stated culture best. Relevant certifications in sustainability, climate finance or risk could strengthen an application but probably won't substitute for demonstrated senior-level delivery.

To stand out for this SVP-level role, move beyond a generic risk CV and demonstrate that you understand the intersection of climate science, regulatory expectations and banking strategy in an emerging market. HSBC Indonesia operates in a jurisdiction where OJK sustainability rules are tightening, so referencing specific Indonesian or ASEAN sustainable-finance developments, and how they shape reputational and execution risk, signals genuine preparation. Where possible, quantify your past impact: green or sustainability-linked facilities approved, reputational issues mitigated, policy frameworks embedded across business lines. The role explicitly calls for a diplomatic change agent, so prepare interview narratives where you challenged a status quo constructively, not anecdotes of blocking deals, but stories of redesigning processes so the business could grow safely. Because the job involves advising Global Businesses and functions, show that you can translate technical climate and reputational concepts for relationship managers, credit officers and country executives in language they act on. Finally, do your homework on HSBC's Net Zero commitments and the reputational scrutiny global banks face over greenwashing. A candidate who can articulate where greenwashing risk actually shows up in products, marketing and client transitions, and how to steward that risk without stalling revenue, will look like someone already doing the job.

The role is anchored in HSBC's Net Zero commitments and the reputational exposure that comes with them. A major focus will be greenwashing risk, ensuring that the bank's sustainability claims, marketing and product labelling can withstand scrutiny, and that clients receiving green or sustainability-linked financing actually meet the criteria. This intersects directly with governance, since reputational risk here is as much about credibility and disclosure as it is about environmental outcomes. On the climate side, the holder will work on embedding climate risk into lending and risk processes in Indonesia, one of HSBC's key growth markets where transition finance matters enormously. Sustainability Execution Risk, the danger that the bank fails to deliver on its own sustainability strategy or does so inconsistently, is a second pillar. The role supports the design of controls and processes that make sustainability targets operational rather than aspirational. Broader social and governance angles may appear through client transition assessments and regulatory alignment, particularly as Indonesian authorities advance sustainable finance rules. The role is therefore less about running environmental projects and more about ensuring that HSBC's sustainability promises are financially and reputationally sound, a governance-first view of ESG in a large global bank.

The central tension in this role is likely the push-pull between commercial ambition and risk discipline. HSBC Indonesia wants to grow sustainable finance and support clients' transitions, while the risk function must ensure that lending under green or sustainability-linked products genuinely meets risk appetite and doesn't invite greenwashing accusations. Navigating that line (approving deals where defensible, pushing back where not) requires both technical credibility and political sensitivity. The role explicitly demands a change agent who challenges the status quo diplomatically, which hints at how much resistance and negotiation the job involves. Another challenge is the evolving and sometimes ambiguous regulatory environment. Climate and sustainability risk rules are still maturing, and the holder must interpret frameworks, apply them consistently, and advise the business without the comfort of settled precedent. Geopolitical monitoring adds further complexity, since reputational risk can flare from events far outside the bank's control. Finally, there is the inherent difficulty of communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences under time pressure. Senior stakeholders want clear, actionable guidance, not caveats. Balancing rigor with pragmatism, and being seen as an enabler rather than a blocker, is probably the hardest and most important part of the job.

A typical day is likely a mix of advisory, review and escalation. It might begin with reviewing client or transaction clearance requests under Sustainability Risk policies, weighing whether a green or sustainability-linked deal fits the bank's risk appetite and flagging reputational concerns. Interspersed are calls or meetings with business teams seeking guidance on how to structure a facility, handle a sensitive client relationship, or respond to a stakeholder query that could carry reputational weight. Much of the role is collaborative: checking in with Enterprise Risk Management colleagues on resilience, AI, strategic or data privacy matters, and aligning with regional or group counterparts on framework interpretation. The holder may spend time drafting or reviewing risk assessments, preparing briefing notes for senior stakeholders, or contributing to a strategic transformation initiative. Monitoring geopolitical and regulatory developments is a recurring background task that can suddenly become urgent. Variability is high. A quiet day of policy interpretation can shift quickly if a reputational issue erupts or a high-profile transaction needs a fast, defensible judgment. The rhythm is less about routine output and more about being a reliable, responsive source of judgment for the country's senior leadership.

This is already a senior, high-visibility role, so growth is less about title progression and more about expanding scope and influence. Success could lead to a broader Chief Risk Officer track, a regional climate or sustainability risk remit across HSBC's Asia network, or a move into a global risk stewardship function where frameworks are designed rather than applied. The reputational and climate agenda is board-relevant, meaning strong performance puts the holder in front of the most senior decision-makers in the country. Skill improvement is likely continuous: evolving regulatory regimes, new green product structures, and HSBC's own Net Zero pathway all demand ongoing learning. The role also offers exposure to the intersection of risk with AI, resilience and strategic risk, since the Enterprise Risk Management function manages a varied portfolio. That breadth could position the holder for lateral moves into strategy, sustainable finance or business-line leadership. Because the position involves contributing to strategic transformation initiatives, it offers a platform to build a visible internal brand. In a bank of HSBC's scale, visibility to regional and group leadership is itself a career accelerant, and the climate/sustainability space is one of the few where demand for experienced risk professionals currently outpaces supply.

The role's primary stakeholders are the Global Businesses and Global Functions within HSBC Indonesia, relationship managers, credit and lending teams, and product specialists who need sustainability, climate and reputational risk advice on client relationships and transactions. The holder acts as an approver for client and transactional clearances, so interactions with front-line business are frequent and often deal-specific, requiring both firmness and collaboration. Internally, there is close work with the Enterprise Risk Management leadership team and peers covering resilience, AI, strategic risk and data privacy, since these risk types interlink. The role also supports senior stakeholder insight and decision-making, meaning regular engagement with country management and potentially board-level or committee reporting on reputational and climate matters. Regional and group risk functions are likely counterparties too, ensuring alignment with HSBC's global Risk Management Framework and Net Zero commitments. Externally, the holder may engage with regulators and industry bodies, directly or through support to colleagues, given the emphasis on regulatory expectations. Indirectly, customers and the public are stakeholders: the role protects HSBC's reputation, so how the bank's conduct and green claims are perceived in the Indonesian market is always in view.