Management team

Mark Watkinson

Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director (Appointed on 01.04.20)

Mark Watkinson has been a career banker with the HSBC Group for 33 years, during which time he held senior leadership roles in 10 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In particular, Mark was CEO and Main Board Director for HSBC Bank Bermuda Limited (2015-2018), CEO and Main Board Director for HSBC Bank Malta Ltd (2011-2015), Executive Vice President Commercial Banking Canada and North America (2010-2011), President and CEO for HSBC Bank Philippines (2006-2010), Senior Vice President Commercial Banking HSBC Bank USA (2004-2006) and Senior Manager Commercial Banking HSBC Bank United Arab Emirates (2001-2004).

Mark holds a law degree and is a Barrister at Law in the United Kingdom. He is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, holds a MBA (with Distinctions) from the University of Warwick and is also a qualified Chartered Director from the Institute of Directors, United Kingdom. Mark was appointed as a Director of the Mauritius Bankers Association (MBA) in May 2020 and an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Mauritius Institute of Directors (MIoD) in July 2020.

Eric Hautefeuille

Chief Operating Officer

Eric has a career spanning almost three decades at senior level in the banking sector. He spent 24 years at Société Générale whereby he worked in various countries namely in Europe, Asia and Africa. During his tenure, he successively held the positions of Chief Information Officer and Project Director in Cameroon (1997-2000) and in Tahiti (2000-2005), Project Director in Russia (2005-2007), Head of Operations and Deputy Chief Operating Officer in China (2007-2011), Chief Operating Officer (COO) in India (2011-2014) and Head of Transversal Operations in France (2014-2015). Prior to joining Bank One as COO in October 2020, Eric held the positions of COO and Head of Transformation at BNI Madagascar for the last five years. He was instrumental in developing the BNI footprint, particularly on mobile, cards and payments businesses and branchless digital microfinance.

Ranjeevesingh (Ranjeeve) Gowreesunkur

Chief Financial Officer

Ranjeeve joined Bank One in 2008 as Financial Accountant bringing with him more than 20 years of extensive banking experience having worked in various senior positions at Union Bank, Delphis Bank, First City Bank, SBI (Mauritius) and Deutsche Bank (Mauritius). After acting as Head of Finance for six years, he was subsequently promoted as Chief Financial Officer in 2014.

Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a registered Professional Accountant with the Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants, Ranjeeve also holds an MBA with Finance from Herriot Watt University.

Valerie Duval

Head of Legal

Valerie Duval was called to the bar in 1995 and joined Bank One in 2008 after having acquired a strong experience in leadership positions in the insurance sector during 13 years, handling high level claims for key general insurers of the market.

As the Head of Legal for Bank One over the last 14 years, Valerie’s expertise ranges from advising Bank One on all legal aspects relating to the affairs and operations of the Bank to providing strategic legal support including assisting in reviewing complex transactions, providing legal input in contractual negotiations and successful recovery of assets in foreign jurisdictions

Fareed Soobadar

Head of Corporate Banking

Fareed Soobadar is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Accountants (UK) – FCCA, a member of the London Institute of Banking and Finance (UK) – ACIB and the holder of an MBA from Durham Business School – Durham University. He has more than 20 years of work experience in the financial services industry, having worked in auditing, accounting, offshore, and HP financing, including 15 years of banking experience at senior management level. He held key positions in organisations such as KPMG, Deloitte, HSBC, AAMIL, as Credit Director at Barclays and, before joining Bank One, as Corporate Director at Banque des Mascareignes. He also had international exposure with ABSA, Barclays Dubai, and Barclays Africa, where he worked principally in the credit field. Fareed was appointed Head of Corporate Banking of Bank One Limited in February 2015.

Thavin Audit

Acting Head of International Banking

Thavin Audit is an accomplished banking professional with a career spanning over 20 years within International Banking. He is well-versed in transaction-oriented positions within structured finance and investment banking environments, leveraging extensive industry knowledge, skills, and experience. He has an in-depth understanding of complex financial structures and products within debt and capital markets, with strong quantitative and analytical skill sets at the core. Thavin is adept at evaluating transactions and agreements, offering valuable insights gained from years of experience and exceptional market knowledge. His extensive experience in International Banking has equipped Thavin with the expertise required to navigate the complexities of the industry, providing him with a unique perspective and the ability to offer innovative solutions to clients.

Thavin holds a master’s degree in International Banking from the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Centre of the University of Reading. He joined the Bank in 2008 and has been instrumental to the setting up of the International Banking department at Bank One. Thavin continues to lead and contribute towards the growth of the International Banking business.

Guillaume Passebecq

Head of Private Banking & Wealth Management

Guillaume is an International School of Management (IDRAC) graduate who has spent his entire career in the banking sector. He started off as a Portfolio Manager at B*capital Paris, the BNP Paribas brokerage house in 1999. In 2007, he was appointed as Head of Sales at BNP Paribas Personal Investors Luxembourg. He joined AfrAsia Bank in 2014 with a strong focus on the European market and was subsequently appointed as Head of Private Banking. Guilllaume joined Bank One in March 2017 and brings with him a wealth of experience in dealing with High Net Worth individuals.

Priscilla Mutty

Head of Human Resources

With over 25 years of experience in the human resource field, Priscilla is a seasoned Human Resources professional. She holds a Master in ‘Administration d’Entreprises’ from the University of Poitiers, France. Priscilla received The Women of Wonder Award Mauritius 2018 and was conferred the 101 Most Influential Global HR Leaders by the World HR Congress.

Prior to joining Bank One, Priscilla has worked across regional and global corporations such as DCDM Consulting (Managed by Accenture) where she was responsible for HR-related consultancy assignments for a portfolio of clients in various industries including banking. Her assignments were conducted both in Mauritius and regionally (i.e. Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Djibouti, among others). From 2011 to 2014, she headed the HR department at Bramer Bank before moving to GroFin in January 2015, a development financier specialized in financing and supporting small and growing businesses (SGBs) with 16 offices across Africa and the Middle East, as its Chief HR Officer. Priscilla joined the Bank in December 2017 as Head of HR.

Rishyraj Lutchman

Head of Treasury

Rishy holds an ACI Diploma and a BBA from Management College of Southern Africa. Before Joining Bank One in February 2014, he worked for 26 years in the Treasury division of the State Bank of Mauritius, where he covered different desks such as sales, interbank and fixed income and acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the Mauritian and Malagasy market. Rishy held the post of Chief Dealer prior to leaving SBM.

Philippe Peritamby

Acting Head of Corporate Banking

Philippe Peritamby has a career of over three decades at managerial level in the banking sector. He spent approximately 21 years at State Bank of Mauritius Ltd, accumulating more than 14 years of banking experience within Corporate Banking. Before joining Bank One, Philippe held the position of Senior Relationship Manager at Standard Bank Mauritius for 2 years. Since joining Bank One in 2008, he has held the role of Deputy Head of Corporate Banking over the last ten years. Philippe has played a key role in developing and shaping the Corporate Banking business at Bank One.

John Alfred (Kenny) Morton

Head of Regulatory Affairs

Kenny Morton is an experienced Compliance Executive within the Compliance Risk discipline having had exposure across various jurisdictions. Kenny spent 19 years at Nedbank in South Africa, holding various roles within the organization. Prior to joining Bank One he was the Executive Head: Compliance, Governance and Ethics at Nedbank Africa.

Kenny is an accredited Ethics Officer and is a member of the Compliance Institute of Southern Africa as well as the Ethics Institute, holding qualifications in Compliance Risk Management, Anti-Money Laundering and Ethics through the University of Johannesburg and University of Stellenbosch respectively. Kenny joined Bank One in April 2021.

Bhavya Shah

Head of Personal Financial Services

Bhavya Shah brings nearly two decades of retail banking experience with deep international business exposure across Asia, Europe and America. Over this period, he has played key roles in strategy, customer propositions, digital and innovation, customer experience, product management and marketing. Before moving to Bank One, Bhavya was working for HSBC Group where his last role was the Global Head of Retail Propositions, Wealth & Personal Banking. He holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Delhi, a Bachelor in Science from the University of London and a Bachelor in Commerce from the University of Calcutta. Bhavya joined Bank One in June 2021 as Head of Personal Financial Services.