DBS CEO Tan Su Shan replies to LinkedIn complaint mid-flight, wins industry praise

A DBS customer who took to LinkedIn to complain about a broken banking feature received an unexpected reply this week: a personal response from CEO Tan Su Shan while she was onboard a flight.

Singapore-based customer Neelkamal Semwal aired his frustration over a DBS feature that had allegedly been non-functional for more than two weeks. In a now-deleted LinkedIn post published on 27 May, Semwal claimed a service allowing users to register their NRIC with their bank account had remained broken for over 15 days despite repeated attempts to resolve the matter through customer service.

In screenshots seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Semwal wrote that "Even after complaining about it with customer care more than a week ago, they still haven't either figured out how to fix this or just don't care,” he wrote, while tagging both Tan and DBS chief information officer Eugene Huang directly.

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About an hour later, Tan replied publicly. “Just had my tech team check this out for you. Am on a plane but someone will definitely respond,” she commented.

Semwal later updated the post to say the matter had since been addressed and thanked Tan for stepping in. “I got a call from DBS to help me in fixing this issue. According to them, it should be resolved very soon. Thanks to Tan Su Shan for the initiative. So, all fine here,” he wrote.

The exchange quickly drew attention online, not just because the issue was resolved, but because of the image it painted: one of Asia’s most prominent banking CEOs personally responding to a LinkedIn complaint while in the air, earning praises from the industry for her quick response and for "leading from the front", according to screenshots seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

The incident reflects a broader shift in how CEOs are increasingly expected to show up publicly and visibly online. Earlier in March, a study by media intelligence firm CARMA found that Tan emerged as Singapore’s most visible CEO across mainstream media coverage between October 2025 and January 2026, topping metrics for visibility, favourability and headline mentions while receiving zero negative coverage.

According to CARMA, media coverage surrounding Tan largely framed her as a thought leader in digitalisation and AI, while spotlighting DBS’ work in generative AI and her growing profile as a corporate leader. The report also noted that coverage had moved beyond her succession from former DBS CEO Piyush Gupta, signalling that Tan had quickly established a distinct personal brand within months of assuming the role.

The LinkedIn exchange further highlights how platforms such as LinkedIn are increasingly becoming public escalation channels for frustrated customers, particularly in Singapore’s corporate circles. Once largely reserved for networking and career updates, the platform is now also home to public complaints, corporate call-outs and customer service escalations directed at senior executives.

And while CEOs personally stepping into customer complaints is still relatively uncommon, moments such as these increasingly shape how leadership is perceived online, especially at a time when visibility, responsiveness and accessibility are becoming closely tied to brand trust.

A day later, Fortune named Tan the sixth most powerful woman in business globally and the highest-ranked executive in Asia on its 2026 list. The ranking recognised women leading some of the world’s largest companies across sectors including finance, technology and healthcare.

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