New Maltese head of IT at HSBC

The number of Maltese occupying senior executive positions within HSBC Bank Malta plc has continued to grow with the appointment of Joseph Borg as the bank's head of IT Services.

In addition to IT Services, Maltese executives are now heading six of the bank's eight divisions. These are Finance, Treasury and Custody, Legal, Banking Services, Fund Management, and Personal Financial Services.

In 2000, all these divisions except for Legal were headed by overseas HSBC executives.

Mr Borg, who has been working with the bank since 1976, will be taking over from Pat Dalton, who is retiring. "The senior positions of the bank are now being taken on by Maltese executives, all of whom have clearly demonstrated their ability to take on these roles," HSBC chief executive Shaun Wallis said. "Joe is no exception and I wish him every success."

There are now only five expatriates in a total workforce of some 1,450, making it very much a local bank run by local staff for local customers. Prior to his appointment as head of IT Services, Mr Borg was manager Systems Development, a role which gave him responsibility, as project manager, for the upgrading of the bank's main IT System.

This project was concluded last March. This latest success builds on a 26-year career in systems development and IT with the bank.

"Although I joined the bank as an accounts clerk at the St Paul's Bay branch, it was not long before I began my IT career," Mr Borg said. "A lot has changed over the years, particularly in recent times, during which the bank revolutionised its IT systems to integrate them with HSBC's global IT platforms.

"This process will undoubtedly continue as both technology and the products we offer to customers continue to develop. Together with my team at IT, we will be working hard to ensure that our colleagues and our customers have the best possible IT solutions to help them carry out their business."