Butterfield Bank has announced that former HSBC senior executive Brendan McDonagh will be put up for election to the board of directors as executive chairman at the shareholders’ annual general meeting (AGM) on May 1.Mr McDonagh, who was previously CEO of HSBC North America and group managing director of HSBC Holdings plc, subject to his election, is expected to take over from the bank’s current chairman Robert Mulderig who has decided to retire from the board at the conclusion of the 2012 AGM as part of the board transition that was disclosed to shareholders last year.Mr Mulderig has served as a non-executive director since 1996. He was appointed as chairman in 2007.In his new role, Mr McDonagh will work closely with Butterfield’s board and current management team, headed by Bradford Kopp, president and CEO, to continue to implement the bank’s strategic objectives, including enhancing its sustainable profitability, improving coordination of resources across jurisdictions and enhancing the core businesses of community banking and wealth management.Mr McDonagh is a career banker with extensive international experience in consumer finance, retail and commercial banking and wealth management. He began his career with HSBC in London in 1979 and held increasingly senior positions within HSBC in Brunei, Hong Kong, Oman, Japan, the Channel Islands and the UK.He transferred to the US in 2002 to lead HSBC’s American retail and commercial banking operations. Mr McDonagh was appointed chief operating officer of HSBC Bank USA, North America in 2004, chief operating officer for HSBC Finance Corporation in 2006, and CEO of HSBC Finance Corporation and chief operating officer of HSBC North America in February 2007. He was named CEO of HSBC North America Holdings and group managing director of HSBC Holdings plc in 2008.With effect from January 23, 2012, Mr. McDonagh will be retained as a strategic adviser to the board. Until his election to the board, he will familiarise himself with each of the bank’s businesses and liaise with Mr Mulderig to effect a seamless transition of the chairman’s duties.Shaun Morris, managing partner of the Appleby (Bermuda) law firm and a director of the bank and head of Butterfield’s corporate governance committee of the Board, led the recruiting effort, both locally and globally, in conjunction with a leading international search firm.Mr Morris said: “Butterfield is fortunate to have a senior international banker with a longstanding reputation for effective leadership joining our organisation. Brendan’s extensive experience in many facets of the banking business, along with his first-hand knowledge of financial services in several jurisdictions, including Guernsey and the United Kingdom, where Butterfield has significant operations, will serve the Bank well going forward.”Olivier Sarkozy, managing director and head of the global financial services group at private equity firm, The Carlyle Group, which was one of the leading participants in the $420 million recapitalisation of Butterfield in 2010, said: “From a shareholder’s perspective, Carlyle is extremely pleased with Butterfield’s choice for its future executive chairman. Brendan has the experience and market knowledge needed to lead the continued turnaround at the bank.”Mr Morris continued: “Rob was one of the architects of the recapitalisation of Butterfield, and his presence as chairman was one of the key factors in the success of that effort. It is under Rob’s leadership that Butterfield was able to restructure and divest itself of problematic assets and return to profitability. We thank him for his many years of service to the organisation.”