HSBC Malta appoints new chief operating officer

Timothy H. Fitzpatrick has been appointed HSBC Bank Malta's new chief operating officer. Mr Fitzpatrick replaces Jeremy Hunt, who has been appointed chief executive officer at HSBC New Zealand.

Mr Fitzpatrick, 43, has been in Malta since 1999 with his wife and three young children, who all attend school in Malta, and for the past three years has been head of Finance, Treasury Services and Corporate Strategy at HSBC Bank Malta.

"As several of the original expatriate team have left or are in the process of leaving the island after having completed the original task of changing the bank's modus operandi into HSBC's international standards, Tim's new role as chief operating officer will enable a sense of continuity to prevail," HSBC's chief executive officer Chris Hothersall said.

"Together with the Maltese senior executives and remaining expatriates in the senior management team, he is in a unique position to help guide the bank through the next phase of its development in Malta," Mr Hothersall continued.

Before arriving in Malta, Mr Fitzpatrick was deputy head of Trade Services at HSBC Bank plc in London and between 1994 and 1997 was head of the Specialised International Products Unit. This position included the management of a number of specialist trade finance entities within HSBC Bank plc, including HSBC International Trade Finance Limited.

Having joined HSBC in 1991, from former Price Waterhouse, Mr Fitzpatrick, who is a chartered accountant and auditor by profession, has also occupied the roles of a project manager in banking operations and planning manager and financial controller at HSBC's Trade Services division.

"Malta has become home for my family and we are all delighted to be staying on in a country to which we have become very attached," Mr Fitzpatrick said. "Clearly, from a professional standpoint, I am very satisfied that HSBC has offered me this opportunity. The role of chief operating officer presents a challenge which, together with my many able colleagues across all sectors of the bank, I look forward to meeting."