[3] He began his career in finance in the mid-1980s, working at a number of industry firms including Citigroup and Bankers Trust.
[4][5] In 2007, Hong moved from JPMorgan Chase to Bank of America, where he took up a position as head of global markets for Asia-Pacific.
[6] Six months later in December 2008, BofA acquired Merrill Lynch, BofA stated that former Merrill CFO Nelson Chai would relocate to Hong Kong to head the firms' newly merged Asia Pacific businesses.
[7] However, just two months after his appointment, Chai resigned, and BofA again named Hong as Asia-Pacific president.
He continued to be based in Hong Kong, reporting to COO Douglas M. Hodge, who previously held the position of Asia-Pacific head.