In Memoriam: Michael Askew
Worked for Chase in Nordic Division and São Paulo
Michael (Mike) Askew, an Englishman who worked for Chase Manhattan in the Nordic Countries and Brazil, died on August 10, 2025 in Uzès, in the south of France, to which he had moved after retirement. Having studied Modern Languages at Queen Mary University, London, and Filosofía y Letras (Sección Filología Románica) at the University of Salamanca, Spain, Askew became a Chartered accountant at Peat Marwick Mitchell before joining Chase for the 1977 Credit Course in London.
At Chase he worked in the Nordic Division, assigned to Stockholm, before moving to the corporate bank in São Paulo. He met his second wife, Tania, while working in Brazil. He left Chase as a Managing Director.
Askew was later Regional General Manager at Banco Exterior de España/Argentaria, General Manager at KBC Belgium, and CEO & President at Business Development Bank Ltd./United Commercial Bank China Ltd., in Shanghai.
He lost his wife, Tania, shortly before passing. He leaves a daughter, Sophie, who described her father as "a singular and extraordinary man".
Remembrances
Please send remembrances to news@chasealum.org
From Bill Dorson: I worked with Michael in Europe and Brazil in the 1980s. To this day, he was the funniest person I knew. I remember his tale of the mole family told in a southern accent, with mole’s asses being the punchline. We were once witness to a bloody bar brawl in Stockholm. We rushed out of the bedlam and on the sidewalk Michael explained this was due to sin tax pricing on alcohol, which led man to evolve into getting completely pissed on one beer.
In São Paulo, Michael was a founding member of an investment and corporate banking team that developed a wonderful esprit de corps and exceeded our wildest dreams in terms of performance, friendship and fun.
From Wolfgang Fenkart-Fröschl: So sorry to hear about Michael. I last met with him and Tania in Shanghai where he worked for Argentaria. I got to know him well in São Paulo in the mid-1980 during Brazil's debt crisis, when the Bank's focus was to massively run down Chase'Brazil's offshore book. All our Chase training tools were no longer applicable and it needed very unconventional banking tools ("financial engineering") to exit at our Brazil debt benchmarks. Big deals – like Debt for Ships with Petrobras, Jari Intercompany Loans, etc. – were our daily bread, and Michael – and, of course, the full team under Brian O'Neill – perfectly fit this challenge. Michael was the right person at the right time in Brazil (not to forget our after-office gatherings with a couple of caipirinhas!).
From Jumbo Jewitt: Mike was great fun to be with, both when working and when away from work. He was extremely well-read and had the most amazing facility for languages, being fluent in several.
I worked with him on several occasions, in London, Barcelona and the Nordic region. The first time was when he was still on the Credit Course; I had a workout client, a hovercraft manufacturer, who was not terribly forthcoming with financial information, under orders from its U.S. parent, who was not able to honour their guarantee. I knew that Mike was a qualified Chartered Accountant, so took him with me to go through the books in fine detail. He was assiduous in getting through the numbers and conducted himself well. He also enjoyed piloting the hovercraft round The Solent. We got our money back.
I lost touch with Mike when he moved to China, saw him briefly in the late 1990s, and then just swapped Christmas cards. He had a zest for life, and had that all too rare combination of taking the job, but not himself, seriously.
He will be sorely missed by friends and family.
I worked with him on several occasions, in London, Barcelona and the Nordic region. The first time was when he was still on the Credit Course; I had a workout client, a hovercraft manufacturer, who was not terribly forthcoming with financial information, under orders from its U.S. parent, who was not able to honour their guarantee. I knew that Mike was a qualified Chartered Accountant, so took him with me to go through the books in fine detail. He was assiduous in getting through the numbers and conducted himself well. He also enjoyed piloting the hovercraft round The Solent. We got our money back.
I lost touch with Mike when he moved to China, saw him briefly in the late 1990s, and then just swapped Christmas cards. He had a zest for life, and had that all too rare combination of taking the job, but not himself, seriously.
He will be sorely missed by friends and family.
From Richard Ingham: I first met Mike at the 1977 Credit Course in London, when he joined as a chartered accountant from Peat Marwick. From the outset, he was a leading member of what became a truly memorable group—known for his sharp, often acerbic wit and a wonderful ability to light up a room.
Though he didn’t appear the most athletic of individuals, I quickly learned otherwise. When we played squash together, I expected an easy match—only to find myself running to every corner of the court soaked in sweat while Mike, calmly commanding the back, beat me with ease. Only later did I discover he had once played at county level!
Mike was full of stories, always told with his unique humour. One that stays with me was after he attended a friend’s party at a large country house. Searching in desperation for a loo (toilet!), he ventured beyond the floodlit terrace in hope of finding a discreet bush. Partially blinded by the light, he instead slipped down a bank and straight into a stream. Soaked through, he returned to the main hall, only to be met by a distinguished gentleman who looked him up and down and simply said, “Oh, I say old chap, you’ve lost a cufflink.” It was classic Mike—a storyteller of life’s mishaps, always ready to laugh at himself.
We had hoped to see him again in person. Some of us were planning a trip to France to visit him when his health made travel to the UK difficult. Sadly, we delayed too long. As the old saying goes, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”
Mike, a talented linguist, lived a rich life, full of humour, warmth and friendship. My greatest regret is missing the chance to see him again. You are sadly missed, Mike—by me and by all whose lives you touched.
From Brian Terry: A remarkable friend and colleague who is dearly missed. Great to have gone through credit training together and for all the wonderful memories of those days - you will be much missed, Mike.
From David Burns: Mike was a good friend and a fun colleague. Our paths crossed often when we were both working for Chase in New York, and there was always time for a drink after work before heading home. We stayed in touch when he transferred to Brazil and I back to Europe, meeting as regularly as he came to London. Mike had an amazing ability to make one laugh and to enjoy every minute spent in his company. He told me once about his life in Hong Kong – house on The Peak, plenty of domestic help, and a car with driver to take him to and from the office. I asked him how long it had taken him to get used to this, and he replied without hesitation, ¨about thirty seconds¨.
Though we spoke often when he was at home in Uzés, the last time we met was at the bar of the Landsdowne Club, where he was staying on his way to a petanque tournament somewhere on the south coast. It was about eleven o´clock in the morning and Mike felt ¨it was that time of day for some champagne, don´t you think¨. The morning ended well. I will miss Mike enormously, but always with a smile.