Name: Vanessa Lau
Job title: Chief Operating Officer
Organisation: Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX)
1. Brief description of nominee’s role and job.
Vanessa Lau is Chief Operating Officer (COO) at HKEX. She has been with the organisation for more than a decade, previously serving as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), then Co-COO, before transitioning to sole COO in 2025. She oversees HKEX’s trading, clearing and settlement operations and plays a central role in shaping the Group’s strategic direction.
Vanessa is also Chief Executive of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) and the Hong Kong Futures Exchange (HKFE). She serves on the board of the London Metal Exchange (LME) and is an independent non-executive director of Swiss Re, reflecting her expertise across global market infrastructure and financial services.
2. Short bio (career highlights, education, interests/hobbies).
Vanessa’s career spans three continents and multiple disciplines. She began at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK, specialising in tax and M&A, before moving into corporate strategy at McKinsey in London and Hong Kong. She later became Group CFO of Alcoa’s Global Rolled Products Group in New York, and subsequently returned to Hong Kong as a senior research analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein covering metals and mining.
She joined HKEX in 2015 and has since held roles including Deputy CFO, CFO (Hong Kong), Group CFO and Co-COO, becoming sole COO in 2025.
In her current role, she leads a team of more than 400 responsible for trading, clearing, settlement and depository services, while working across the organisation to deliver a record-breaking year in 2025 and position HKEX for sustainable long-term growth.
Vanessa holds a BA and MA in Mathematics and Computation from the University of Oxford and is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Outside work, she enjoys music and has kept a portable keyboard with her throughout her international moves.
3. What were your professional highlights and challenges of 2025?
2025 focused on delivering growth, executing strategy and reinforcing the resilience of Hong Kong’s market infrastructure.
Average daily turnover reached HK$249.8 billion, up 90 percent year-on-year. A total of 119 IPOs raised HK$286.9 billion, with Hong Kong leading globally in IPO funds raised. Together with the Board and management, we positioned Hong Kong’s markets for the next decade, anchored in Asia’s growth, RMB internationalisation and a diversified, multi-asset ecosystem.
We delivered several cash market enhancements to improve liquidity and competitiveness. Phase 1 of the minimum spread reduction lowered transaction costs and tightened bid-ask spreads. We advanced discussions on accelerated settlement to chart a path to T+1, and embedded Severe Weather Trading to enhance operational resilience.
In fixed income, we signed an MOU on post-trade infrastructure with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and became a 20 percent strategic shareholder in CMU OmniClear Holdings. This strengthens Hong Kong’s bond market infrastructure and supports offshore RMB development.
In commodities, the LME’s approval of Hong Kong as a warehouse location – followed by the approval of 13 warehouses by end-2025 – strengthened links to Mainland Chinese supply chains and broadened our multi-asset reach.
We also expanded our index franchise with the launch of the HKEX Tech 100 Index, supporting capital allocation across Asia’s innovation economy.
At the corporate level, we invested in our future by purchasing HKEX’s permanent headquarters at Exchange Square, reflecting confidence in Hong Kong as an international financial centre.
As COO, overseeing the Group’s strategic direction allowed me to help drive many of these initiatives. It has been rewarding to see these achievements strengthen both HKEX and the broader market ecosystem.
4. Tell us about a few of your key achievements throughout your career?
Over more than a decade at HKEX, I am proud of what my teams – first in Finance, now in Operations and Strategy – have achieved to reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a global superconnector linking Mainland China, Asia and the world.
As CFO, I strengthened financial rigour and discipline, rebuilt the investor relations function into a proactive engagement platform, and expanded my remit to include corporate services, business management and strategy.
As COO, I have focused on future-proofing operations and ensuring our market structure and platforms are as frictionless as possible for investing, trading and risk management.
Transitioning from Finance into Operations marked a significant career milestone. After a decade leading Finance, stepping into a broader operational role presented new responsibilities and learning opportunities.
In June 2025, I handed over the Group CFO role to Herbert Hui. The transition was an important moment of professional growth, both for me and for the team as we continued to evolve.
5. What and who inspires, and has inspired, you to achieve your professional success?
My greatest inspiration has come from mentors – individuals who recognise potential, encourage stretch opportunities and support growth.
At HKEX, I have been fortunate to work with a Board and senior leadership team who placed their trust in me to transition from CFO to COO. That confidence motivates me to create broader development pathways for others.
My directorship at Swiss Re has also been inspiring. Working alongside international board members with deep strategic insight has strengthened my perspective and reinforced my commitment to supporting more female leaders aspiring to board roles.
6. How have you overcome setbacks, and what advice would you give to others dealing with setbacks?
The most significant challenge in 2025 was transitioning from Finance to Operations, which required engaging with the business from a new perspective.
I addressed this by relying on my team and asking for support when needed. My advice is simple: build relationships broadly across the organisation and do not hesitate to seek help. Leadership is strengthened, not diminished, by collaboration.
7. What advice do you have for other women who aspire to be in leadership positions? What is the biggest takeaway you want to leave with the reader?
Do not self-limit. You will rarely feel fully ready for your next role. Stretch opportunities are part of growth.
Embrace change, seek counsel and work collaboratively – leadership is not a solo endeavour.
Above all, invest in attracting and developing talent. Sustainable success depends on high-performing teams, and building them requires ongoing focus and commitment.