The Board of Directors of Union Bank announced the appointments of Mr. Sabry Ghouse as the new Deputy Chairman and Mr. Trevine Fernandopulle as the Senior Independent Director to the Bank’s Board with effect from 2nd November 2020.

Mr Ghouse joined the Union Bank Board in August 2012 as an Independent Non-executive Director and currently serves as the Chairman of the Bank’s Related Party Transactions Review Committee (RPTRC). He is also a member of the Board Credit Committee (BCC), Human Resource and Remuneration Committee (HRRC) and the Nomination Committee (NC).

His banking career spans over 27 years with leading international Banks both in Sri Lanka and overseas including American Express Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Al Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation of Saudi Arabia where he was instrumental in setting up of Retail Banking, allied operations and strategy development for the banks to emerge as leaders in their chosen markets. Joining American Express in 1991 for the launch of the American Express card, the first corporate card in Sri Lanka, he was responsible for the card issuance and acquisition business in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He was also the Head of Retail Banking at Standard Chartered Bank and later seconded as the Regional Head of Consumer Banking for the Levant Region where he was responsible for the successful acquisition and transition of the Grindlays Bank business, subsequent to Standard Chartered’s global acquisition of Grindlays franchise. He also worked as Director Retail Banking Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia and was responsible in successfully setting up the Bank’s retail business and operations and a country-wide branch network in entering the Malaysian market. Mr. Ghouse was a former Director of the Credit Information Bureau (CRIB) in Sri Lanka and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Western Sydney, Australia and has followed the executive leadership programs conducted by the London Business School, UK and Templeton, Oxford UK.

Mr Fernandopulle joined the Union Bank Board in 2017 as an Independent Non-executive Director and currently serves as a committee member in the Bank’s RPTRC, BCC, HRRC and the NC. He is a veteran Banker with over 40 years’ experience in the financial services sector. Prior to joining the Union Bank Board, he served as the Group Chief Risk Officer/Executive Vice President – Risk of the DFCC Group and as the Chief Risk Officer at Bank of Ceylon. He was also the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of HSBC Sri Lanka where he served for 30 years and acquired wide knowledge and exposure to international banking and risk management specialisms; having provided leadership to numerous functions including Risk Management, Foreign Exchange and Treasury, International Trade, Corporate Banking and Retail Operations.

Mr. Fernandopulle, is the Chairman of AMW Capital Leasing and Finance PLC (an Al Futtaim Group Dubai owned company) and the Board of Trustees of Joseph Frazer Memorial Hospital. He also serves on the Board of Continental Insurance Lanka Ltd. He was a director of National Insurance Trust Fund and is a Past President of Chartered Institute of Bankers (Sri Lanka Branch) and, a Founder Member/past Vice President of the Association of Banking Risk Professionals of Sri Lanka. Mr. Fernandopulle holds a BSc. (Mathematics) from Imperial College, University of London (UOL), an MSc (Statistics) from the London School of Economics, UOL and is also an Associate/ Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London.

The Board welcomed the new appointments and stated that since joining the Union Bank Board, Mr Ghouse and Mr Fernandopulle have given enormous support, guidance and counsel to the Bank’s management in driving its operations. The appointments further consolidate the strength of the Union Bank Board and will add immense value and stature in steering the Bank towards its growth objectives. The Board also expressed their sincere thanks and gratitude to Mr. Priyantha Fernando, the former Deputy Chairman/Senior Independent Director for his immensely valuable contribution to the Bank. Mr Fernando retired from the Board with effect from 1st November 2020, having completed his nine-year service period as per the corporate governance directions issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.