Sonny Portelli has been appointed director of HSBC Bank Malta plc.
The appointment has been approved by the Malta Financial Services Authority.
The appointment of Mr Portelli, a leading businessman, is for the interim period until the annual general meeting in March 2007 and was made under the terms of clause 78 of the bank's Articles of Association.
The appointment follows the recent resignation from the board of Louis A. Farrugia, who has been serving as a director since 2000. Mr Farrugia was also chairman of HSBC's audit committee.
Mr Farrugia stepped down due to the increase in his business commitments as CEO at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc and the associated group of companies.
Mr Portelli is chairman of Maltacom, also one of Malta's leading publicly listed companies.
He had an early career in the civil service which he left to join the tourism sector and held a number of senior management positions in industry.