Lawrence Au

Lawrence Au is a recognised pioneer and thought leader in Asia’s securities services industry with a distinguished 38-year career in the financial sector. He served as Asia Pacific CEO at BNP Paribas Securities Services and Northern Trust for a combined 16 years, leading over 2,000 staff across eight countries and serving as licensed responsible officer for financial operations in Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Australia.

His contributions have earned him multiple prestigious industry awards, including the Global Custodian’s “Industry Legend Award” (2023) and Asia Asset Management's “Lifetime Achievement Award” (2016). He also received the “Vice Chancellor Alumni Excellence Award” (2020) from his alma mater in Australia, The University of Queensland.

Lawrence has authored two notable books on Asia’s financial industry developments:

• “Asia’s Financial Industry 1986-2016” (English and Chinese), ranked #18 in Amazon Kindle’s banking category

• “From Physical to Digital: Asia’s Securities Services Developments 1995-2021” (English)

Both are featured in prestigious university and public library collections worldwide.

Since retiring from corporate leadership, I continue to engage as a consultant, writer, guest lecturer, and mentor. I also serve on advisory groups including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s CMU OmniClear Market Advisory Group, the Securities Services Advisory Group, and the Singapore Fund Directors Association.