HNB’s Jonathan Alles takes over Chairmanship of Asian Bankers Association 

HNB’s Managing Director and CEO, Jonathan Alles was elected Chair of the Asian Bankers Association by its board of directors, at the conclusion of its 35th Annual General Meeting and Conference, held recently at the Kurumba resort in the Maldives, a position he will hold for the two year period 2018 to 2020. 

Mr. Alles takes over the mantle from outgoing Chairman and President of CFTB Financial Institute Taiwan, Daniel Wu, according to an HNB media release.

Some 150 bankers from the Asia Pacific, the Middle-East and other regions gathered in the Maldives for the 2-day event that provided a valuable platform for the membership to meet and network as well as exchange views on current trends and developments in the regional and global markets that are expected to have a significant impact on the banking and financial sector of the region and how industry players can address the challenges and take full advantage of opportunities presented by these developments. 

Newly elected Chairman Mr. Alles together with the 23 member banks that comprise the Board of Directors, adopted its 2018 – 2020 work programme, outlining activities over the next 2 years in the areas of policy advocacy, information exchange, training and professional development, membership expansion and strengthening relationships with other regional and international organizations.

He said that he would continue the ABA objectives of providing a forum for advancing the cause of the banking and finance industry in the region and promoting regional economic cooperation. 

More specifically Mr. Alles said projects that would encourage trade, industrial and investment cooperation in Asia Pacific would be an agenda that he would like to drive.

He was also the chair and moderator of the first plenary session that tackled the topic of technology in banking. 
As HNB’s Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Alles was the Chair of the Sri Lanka Bankers Association, a position he held during the period May 2014 to May 2016.