Shaun Wallis, former CEO of HSBC in Malta, has been appointed Director of Business Development by the Corinthia Group.

Mr Wallis will form part of the senior executive team and will be supporting the Group on its development and financing strategies in the various sectors in which the group is involved, particularly in raising new capital and acquiring new developments.

Mr Wallis was a member of the top management team of the HSBC Group for the last 20 years of his 33-year international career with the bank around the world. He was awarded the National Order of Merit by the President of Malta in 2008 for his services to Malta.

Corinthia Group chairman Alfred Pisani said that Mr Wallis was joining the Group at a time when it was preparing itself to take advantage of the greater opportunities that were ahead, particularly after the recent opening of its flagship London Hotel and the revival of economic activity in North Africa.

The Corinthia Group encompasses International Hotel Investments p.l.c., owner, developer and through its hotel management Company CHI, operator of luxury five-star hotels in key cities. The Group also includes Mediterranean Investments Holding p.l.c.,leading owners and developers in Libya including the prestigious Palm City complex and Medina Towers, as well as QPM Limited, Malta's leading project management company.