My Life in Treasury: Diane S. Reyes

The Long Goodbye

On the cusp of retirement, Diane S. Reyes, Group General Manager and Head of Global Liquidity and Cash Management, HSBC, reflects fondly on her journey to the top. One of the most powerful women in banking, Reyes also shares her insights into forging a path in a man’s world, her hopes for the future of the industry, and her post-retirement plans (spoiler alert: she isn’t picking up the gardening gloves any time soon).

Perfectly composed as ever, Diane Reyes is the picture of elegance on our farewell Zoom call. Yet her calm exterior belies mixed emotions around her retirement. We’re catching up at the hinge moment between her leaving the HSBC office for the last time and the start of a new personal and professional journey.

“Yesterday, I spent the day with my assistant, clearing out the remaining personal items from my desk – and shredding some long-forgotten memos that I found in a drawer,” she explains. “It brought back so many memories, packing everything into a box. And as I left the building, knowing that I wouldn’t be coming back, I texted my husband and explained the tinge of sadness.”

For those of you who don’t know Reyes, her husband and four children feature regularly in conversations about work. And conversely, members of her team are often spoken about as if they were family. Reyes combines her role of business leader, coach, mentor, and mother, wife and friend into a single package.

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