Will Thorp has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Bank Jersey. Will takes over the role from Mark Hucker and the change allows Mark to focus on his role as CEO of Standard Bank Offshore Group, encompassing Jersey, Isle of Man and Mauritius.

Will’s appointment follows a 14 year career at Standard Bank. During the last decade, he has held a number of roles including Finance Director of the Bank’s Russian operation based in Moscow, Global Finance Director – Investment Banking based in both London and Johannesburg, and most recently Chief Financial Officer for the Bank’s Offshore Group, based in Jersey. At just 38, Will is the youngest person to take up the island head role.

Mark Hucker is confident his successor will be a strong and forward looking leader for the Jersey bank, ‘Will’s strong career track record speaks for itself. In his previous role he played a significant part in the development of the Offshore Group’s strategy and our alignment with the rest of the Standard Bank Group. He also produced major improvements to our performance management framework and has an excellent understanding of the broader Group. At such an important time for our Jersey operation as we look to fully capitalise on our African heritage and expertise, Will is well equipped to lead our team forward and manage the Bank’s key relationships.’

Will, who came to Jersey in 2012, commented ‘I am obviously looking forward to my new role and the enhanced responsibilities it entails. Standard Bank is an exciting global operation with its roots in the fastest growing and most dynamic continent in the world. With our highly experienced and motivated team in Jersey and the links to the Bank’s employees on the ground in 20 countries throughout Africa, we are ideally placed to be the Bank of choice for anyone wanting to do business on the continent.

I am taking over from Mark to enable him to focus on the leadership of the Offshore Group but we’ll continue to work closely together to ensure we offer excellent client service and deliver returns to our shareholders.”

Will’s key responsibilities include the development and delivery of Standard Bank’s strategy in Jersey, ensuring it’s in line with the Group’s vision whilst operating within regulatory requirements of the jurisdiction.