FORM 6-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                        Report of Foreign Private Issuer
                    Pursuant to Rule 13a - 16 or 15d - 16 of
                      the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                          For the month of June, 2006

                               HSBC Holdings plc

                              42nd Floor, 8 Canada
                        Square, London E14 5HQ, England


(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F).

                          Form 20-F X Form 40-F ......

(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934).

                                Yes....... No X


(If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant
in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82- ..............)



                   HSBC APPOINTS NEW CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

HSBC Holdings plc has appointed David Hodgkinson to the position of Group Chief
Operating Officer.

David, 55, will take over from Alan Jebson who retired on 26 May 2006. He
assumes responsibility for ensuring the efficient and innovative evolution of
HSBC's processes and services around the world. This includes the highly
successful global resourcing initiative which has seen HSBC establish 11 Group
service centres to handle selected processing and customer service work for a
number of HSBC Group companies around the world.

Michael Geoghegan, HSBC Group Chief Executive, said: "David has precisely the
kind of broad-based experience in banking that we require for this critical
role. HSBC has led the industry in the development of global processing
operations and the challenge now is to take the exemplary foundations laid by
Alan Jebson and build upon them to make HSBC the most efficient banking group in
the world.

"I have no doubt that David, working closely with his colleagues around the
world, has the skills to realise our ambitious goals."

Prior to this appointment, he was Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, based in Dubai. He joined HSBC in 1969, and has
since held senior positions in numerous countries, including Hong Kong,
Singapore, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

David, already a Group Managing Director, will have a seat on the HSBC Group
Managing Board.

He will, additionally, oversee several business units and functions including
those with which he has been closely associated, notably HSBC's operations in
the Middle East.

The responsibility for HSBC's information technology systems will continue to
reside with Ken Harvey, Group Chief Information Officer, who reports to Michael
Geoghegan.






                                    SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

                               HSBC Holdings plc

                                                By:
                                                Name:  P A Stafford
                                                Title: Assistant Group Secretary
                                                Date:  2 June 2006