Vietnam’s mid-sized lender OCB names tech veteran Chris Shayan acting CEO

Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank (HoSE: OCB) has appointed foreign AI and financial technology expert Chris Shayan as its new acting CEO, effective June 1, 2026.

The strategic appointment follows the departure of former CEO Pham Hong Hai in mid-May, who stepped down after a two-year tenure at the helm of the Vietnamese private lender.

Shayan has more than two decades of global and domestic experience in banking technology, investment, and fintech development to the role.

Prior to this appointment, he served as a board member at private equity firm Mekong Capital, where he spearheaded digital transformation initiatives across the firm’s portfolio companies, including major local retail networks Pharmacity and F88.

He also holds deep roots in Vietnam’s commercial banking sector, having previously led digital transformation strategies at Techcombank and HDBank.

The leadership transition signals a heavy technological pivot for OCB. Bank officials stated that the lender has spent years upgrading its data architecture, digital infrastructure, and technical talent pool to prepare for its next phase of growth.

Selecting a top-tier AI and tech expert aligns with OCB's long-term strategy to sharpen its competitive edge and digital agility. Under Shayan’s leadership, the bank aims to accelerate digital transformation, deeply integrate AI, and big data analytics into its operations and risk management systems.

Shayan succeeds Pham Hong Hai, a highly prominent figure in the Vietnamese banking sector. Hai was known as the first Vietnamese national to hold the CEO position at HSBC Vietnam, alongside senior executive roles at HSBC Canada and Thien Viet Securities.

The executive shakeup comes as OCB pursues aggressive financial targets for 2026. The mid-sized lender has set a pre-tax profit target of VND6.96 trillion ($264.52 million), up nearly 40% year-on-year.

Additionally, the bank plans to expand its charter capital to over VND30.6 trillion ($1.16 billion), up from VND26.6 trillion ($1.01 billion), while targeting a 10% growth in total assets to VND354.2 trillion ($13.46 billion) by the end of this year.