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Henry Ho took over as president director of PT Bank Danamon on Thursday and expressed confidence that the bank would achieve 20 percent growth in lending this year by expanding its market share in all segments.

Bank Danamon shareholders appointed Ho to replace Sebastian Paredes, who resigned as president director in January.

Ho was formerly the president director of PT Bank Internasional Indonesia. His appointment still requires the approval of Bank Indonesia.

“With the robust GDP growth, we should have no problem achieving 20 percent growth in lending,” Ho said after the shareholders meeting.

Ho said his strategy would be to continue Bank Danamon’s expansion in the consumer lending segment, its current growth engine, as well as developing lending to small and medium-sized enterprises and corporations.

In the consumer segment, Danamon’s auto financing, through subsidiary PT Adira Dinamika Multifinance, and micro-loans through unit Danamon Simpan Pinjam contributed 54 percent of the lender’s total business.

“There are a lot of opportunities waiting for us. My job is to bring Danamon to a higher level,” Ho said.

He said he would transfer the experience and expertise he developed in leading BII’s consumer lending business.

“Danamon has strength in the mass-market segment that BII did not have. Danamon also has a huge opportunity to expand in other segments.”

Vera Eve Liem, Danamon’s chief financial officer, said that with trade activity beginning to improve and corporations preparing to expand, there was a possibility that lending growth this year could be as good as in 2008. Bank Danamon posted 25.4 percent loan growth in 2008.

The banking industry’s average lending growth target is 23.8 percent this year.

Bank Danamon on Thursday also appointed Michellina Triwardhany as director of consumer lending, a move Ho described as key to expanding its share of the market.

Triwardhany started her career in Citibank in 1990 and held various positions in the credit-card business in Hong Kong, Manila and Kuala Lumpur.

Danamon’s annual shareholder meeting also appointed several new directors.

Shareholders also approved giving 50 percent, or Rp 766.3 billion ($85.1 million), of 2009 net profit as dividends. Dividend payments will be made in June.

Bank Danamon profit jumped 78 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with same period in 2009.

Danamon’s profit soared to Rp 701 billion from the year-earlier period, while net interest income climbed 16 percent to Rp 2.39 trillion.

Funding allocated to cover bad debts dropped by 24 percent.