At the beginning of the event, Steven Irvine publicly announced he will be stepping down as editor of FinanceAsia - after eight years - and will take a new role as Consulting Editor. The magazine's new editor, Lara Wozniak, made a short address to the audience and shared her vision for FinanceAsia's future direction.
The evening was ably hosted by CNBC's Emily Chan, and musical entertainment was provided after the meal by cello soloist, Olivia Guo û who captivated the audience with her funky Vanessa Mae-esque take on classics such as the Flight of the Bumble Bee.
As per usual, the winner of the prestigious Best Asian Bank award was announced on the night (see separate article). Once again it was Kookmin Bank of South Korea that took the honours. In one of the most memorable moments in a decade of FinanceAsia awards dinners, Kookmin's Kwang Ho Park, made a slow walk to the podium in a manner reminiscent of Rocky Balboa. To cheers from an enthusiastic audience, he clenched his hands above his head and made victory salutes, before giving a speech thanking Kookmin's clients. He ended his speech by holding the trophy aloft and saying "I love you" to the crowd.
Meanwhile in one of the evening's more surprising upsets, Goldman Sachs ended its unbroken run of victories in awards dinner trivia quizzes. The quiz was won instead by Citi, which also picked up more awards plaques (10 in total) than any other institution on the night.
To see the photo album, please click here.
¬ Haymarket Media Limited. All rights reserved.
