spokespeople

Mark Sismey-Durrant has nearly thirty years experience in banking and the savings market, both onshore and offshore. As well as being the Managing Director at Icesave, he is also Chief Executive at Heritable Bank. Under his leadership, Heritable has seen substantial growth in its assets, its deposits and its profits. It has expanded its core business of property development finance and diversified into a new specialist mortgage lending business established in 2003. It has also substantially expanded deposits and commenced a new retail deposit taking business in 2004.

Prior to joining Heritable, he was Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman of Sun Bank Plc and a UK Board Director of Sun Life Financial of Canada. Before this he held various management positions on a fast-track career with HSBC.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Banking and Finance and a Master of Philosophy Degree from Loughborough University. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Freeman and Liveryman of the Guild of International Bankers. He is Chairman of the British Bankers Association Small Bank Advisory Panel and a Council member.

Mark enjoys golf, running and spending time with his family. He also recognises and respects the cultural differences and strengths between Icelanders and the British. He believes that Iceland is an intriguing and beautiful place and that in the UK, Icelanders have a very high reputation for honesty and fair dealing.

In his opinion, the best traits that Icelanders possess are that they are entrepreneurial and fast moving in business and are optimistic, seeing possibilities rather than obstacles.

top

Ketan Malde has over 25 years' experience in the financial services industry, specialising in the retail and wholesale banking markets. Ketan is also the Chief Operating Officer and on the Board of Heritable Bank, which he joined in October 2002 as Finance Director responsible for Finance, Treasury and Information Technology. While at Heritable, he has played a key role in the growth and the increased profitability of the Bank by expanding the asset base into new areas like the provision of specialist mortgage finance and asset finance, whilst diversifying the funding base by launching a deposit taking operation.

Ketan was previously Finance Director of Sun Bank plc, a member of the Sun Life Financial Group until the sale of the business at the end of 2001. He spent 12 successful years at Sun Bank which began as a start up operation in 1989 and delivered double digit revenue and earnings growth every year from inception. In 2002, he spent a few months in Asia performing an Interim Executive role for Sun Life's Asian operations. Prior to Sun Bank, he spent nine years with Confederation Life in various financial management roles.

Ketan is a graduate of Leeds University and a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants. He is also a director of Landsbanki Guernsey Limited and a member of the Finance Committee of Octavia Housing and Care.

Ketan is a big cricket fan. He has three teenage children who all play cricket and he enjoys coaching and watching them. He likes watching most sports and visits the gym at least twice a week.

The best things about Iceland according to Ketan are the widely contrasting landscape, food and the long days during the summer months. In his opinion, Icelanders are very friendly and hospitable people who are highly educated and dynamic and keen followers of English football teams.

top

Halldór J. Kristjánsson (51) has over 27 years experience in the financial services industry. Halldór has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Heritable Bank in London since 2000 and of Landsbanki Luxembourg since 2003, and a Director of Lex Life & Pension from 2005. He has also been a Director of Landsbanki's subsidiaries Teather & Greenwood, Kepler Equities and Merrion Capital since 2005.

In April 1998 Halldór became CEO of Landsbanki. During his career he has served as a member of the Board of the Icelandic Employer´s Federation, Chairman of the Icelandic Banking Federation and a member of the Board of the European Banking Federation. Halldór has also served as a Chairman of the Board of VISA Iceland.

Halldór is a graduate of the University of Iceland where he studied law. He received an LLM in International Law from New York University in 1981 and studied contractual law at Harvard Law School in 1986. From 1981-1991 he served in the Ministry of Industry, and as Director of Legal and International Affairs from 1989 to1991. Halldór also served as Alternate Executive Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London from 1991 to 1994. Between 1994 and 1998 he was Director and later Secretary-General at the Ministry of Trade and Commerce.

In Halldór's opinion, the best personality traits that an Icelandic organisation can bring to the UK's savings market are honesty and tenacity. He believes that these core Icelandic values have proven successful when providing a service to UK companies and individuals

top