A former top executive of the US Central Intelligence Agency has joined the board of Butterfield Bank.

Meroe Park has been appointed as a non-executive director. She was most recently the executive director of the CIA, serving as the agency’s chief operating officer in its most senior career post.

Prior to her retirement from the CIA in June, Ms Park was a 27-year career intelligence officer and one of the US Government’s leading professionals. She held increasingly senior positions at the CIA, including chief of human resources and a senior mission support officer for locations in Eurasia and Western Europe.

Ms Park successfully led key strategic initiatives, including the modernisation of the CIA’s technology systems and organisational structure, and the implementation of talent initiatives focused on workforce development and inclusion.

Ms Park earned a number of awards during her career, and has twice been the recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the Executive Branch’s highest honour for Government career professionals. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University.

Michael Collins, Butterfield’s chief executive officer, said: “On behalf of my fellow directors, I am excited to welcome Meroe to the Butterfield board. Meroe’s leadership skills and unique geopolitical perspective, developed over nearly three decades of domestic and international experience with the CIA, will help support our growth in high quality international financial centres.

“I look forward to working closely with Meroe and our other directors as we continue to build shareholder value.”