HSBC has appointed David Rice as its first Chief AI Officer, effective 1 April 2026, as the bank formalises leadership of artificial intelligence across the group.
Rice, previously Chief Operating Officer for corporate and institutional banking, will oversee enterprise-wide AI adoption, including the deployment of generative AI tools to employees and client-facing teams.
The Bank’s CEO Georges Elhedery said in a statement cited by Financial News London: “Our customers increasingly expect their bank to deliver services uniquely aligned to their specific needs, and fast. Our ambition here is simple. We will empower our colleagues to use AI to create a personalized experience for each customer, deliver it safely, in real time and at scale, while keeping human judgement, decision-making and accountability at the core. David will be instrumental in helping us realise our ambition in this area.”
Rice said: “AI is going to play an ever-increasing role in HSBC’s future plans, so I am thrilled to take on this new role to help us drive forward our transformation agenda.”
The appointment comes as HSBC targets a return on tangible equity above 17% for 2026 to 2028, with AI-driven efficiencies expected to contribute to those gains. Chief Technology Officer Mario Shamtani has also seen his remit expanded to support AI deployment at scale.
