Andrew Au has been named regional head for Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered.

Au was most recently working for Citi, where he was CEO for China, and will be responsible for managing the global banking business in the region. He worked on a variety of roles for Citi since joining in 1984.

However, his appointment at Standard Chartered is something of a surprise. In 2016, when announcing that Au was being replaced by Christine Lam, Citi said he was retiring.

He begins his new role on  January 29. Based in Hong Kong, he reports to global head of global banking Paul Skelton and Benjamin Hung, regional CEO, Greater China and North Asia.

“Andrew will be leading one of our most important regions in the context of our corporate and institutional banking strategy. He brings with him extensive geographic and leadership experience and I am delighted that he has agreed to join the team,” Skelton says.

Hung adds: “I’m excited that Andrew has chosen to join Standard Chartered. I know that with Andrew’s deep expertise in the region, we will be able to take our strategic growth initiatives including renminbi internationalisation and Belt and Road to new levels.”