(Reuters) - HSBC Holdings PLC ( HSBC ) said on Friday that Brendan Nelson, chair of its group audit committee, will serve as interim group chairman following the retirement of Mark Tucker, who will step down from the role on September 30.

Tucker will also step down as a board member on the same date.

"The process to select the permanent HSBC ( HSBC ) group chair, led by Ann Godbehere, senior independent director, is ongoing," the banking giant said in a statement.

"Brendan's extensive experience on UK-listed boards, and as Group Audit Chair, makes him ideally placed to assume the role on an interim basis while the process continues," said Godbehere.

Nelson has previously served as an independent non-executive director at several major UK-listed companies, including oil giant BP and financial services firm NatWest.

HSBC ( HSBC ) had announced on May 1 that Tucker would retire by the end of the year, after nearly eight years as chairman of Europe's largest bank, during which he oversaw a significant downsizing and steered the group through rising Sino-U.S. tensions.