Board Appointment

HSBC Holdings PLC
01 October 2007


                               HSBC HOLDINGS PLC

                               BOARD APPOINTMENT

William Samuel Hugh Laidlaw (51) has been appointed a Director of HSBC Holdings
plc with effect from 1 January 2008. He will be an independent non-executive
Director.

Sam Laidlaw is Chief Executive Officer of Centrica plc and has significant
international experience with responsibility for businesses on four continents.
During his career he worked in the United States for seven years and has
directed operations in emerging markets including Russia, the Middle East, North
Africa and India. He was Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Oil plc from 2001
to 2002, Executive Vice President of Chevron Corporation from 2003 to 2006, and
a non-executive Director of Hanson PLC from October 2003 to August 2007.

There are no other matters relating to the appointment of Mr Laidlaw that need
to be disclosed pursuant to Listing Rule 9.6.13(2) to (6).

Biographical details about Sam Laidlaw are stated below.

Mr Sam Laidlaw has been Chief Executive Officer of Centrica plc since July 2006.
During his time at Centrica he has been responsible for restructuring and
refocusing the business as a leading energy and energy services provider, and
improving the profitability of the British Gas subsidiary.

He joined the Amerada Hess Corporation in 1981 and became President and Chief
Operating Officer in 1995, where he had direct responsibility for the company's
worldwide exploration, production, shipping and oil and gas sales.

In 2001, he joined Enterprise Oil as Chief Executive Officer. He orchestrated
the company's acquisitive expansion into Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom
and was instrumental in negotiating the all-cash offer for the company when it
was acquired by Shell in 2002.

He became Executive Vice President of Chevron Corporation in 2003, with
responsibility for large-scale worldwide business development. He was involved
in Chevron's acquisition of Unocal in 2005 and had regional responsibility for
Russia, the Middle East, North Africa and India.

From 2003 until August 2007, he was a non-executive Director of Hanson PLC,
where he was also the chairman of the Remuneration Committee.

He is Chairman of the UK Council of INSEAD, the European business school, a
Trustee of RAFT, a medical charity for burns and reconstructive surgery and a
fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

He was educated at Cambridge University and subsequently qualified as a
solicitor. He obtained an MBA from INSEAD in 1981. He is married with four
children and lives in the UK. In his spare time he enjoys sailing and opera.


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