Argus: Three New Management Appts
The Argus Group today [Oct 26] announces three new appointments to its senior management team. Gary Hitchens joins the company as Director of Global Sales & Marketing, Onesimus Nzabalinda has been appointed as Head of Compliance & Risk Management, and George N.H. Jones takes the position of Group Company Secretary & Legal Advisor.
Gerald Simons, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Argus Group, says: “We are delighted to welcome Gary, Onesimus and George to the Argus Group. Each brings a valuable combination of knowledge and skills within their particular profession, which will serve to further strengthen our senior management team. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary this year, our businesses continue to perform well. However we are conscious that, in an increasingly competitive, global marketplace, we need to constantly improve our operations and infrastructure in order to exceed the expectations of our customers and to meet the requirements of our regulators.”
Gary Hitchens, Director of Global Sales & Marketing
In this newly created position, Mr. Hitchens is responsible for managing the group wide sales force and developing strategies that maximise sales opportunities in Bermuda and Europe for the Argus Group, in both the corporate and consumer markets. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, he is also tasked with implementing processes to gather market intelligence and establish strategic relationships to support business development.
Mr. Hitchens has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to relocating to Bermuda for this role, Mr. Hitchens worked in the U.K. for a number of large organisations including ACE, AIG, Marks and Spencer and Prudential. Mr. Hitchens has in-depth experience of selling a broad range of products, such as health, life and commercial insurance as well as pensions through diverse channels including brokers and direct sales.
Onesimus Nzabalinda, Head of Compliance & Risk Management
As Head of Compliance & Risk Management, Mr. Nzabalinda is primarily responsible for establishing and overseeing effective group risk and compliance management to ensure that the Argus Group and its employees are complying with regulatory requirements. These include Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Regulations as well as internal policies and procedures. He is also responsible for overseeing the internal audit function.
Mr. Nzabalinda, a Bermudian, has 13 years of senior management experience. He worked previously for Butterfield Bank as Vice President, Operational & Fraud Risk Manager. Prior to this he was employed by HSBC Bermuda in a number of positions relating to compliance and risk management from October 1997 until he joined Butterfield Bank in January 2007. Mr. Nzabalinda has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Andrews University, Michigan and a Master of Science degree from New York University. He is the Co-founder and a past President of the Bermuda Chapter of Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).
George N.H. Jones, Group Company Secretary & Legal Advisor
Mr. Jones serves as Secretary and Registrar for Argus Group Holdings Limited and all its subsidiaries. In this position, he ensures that the company and its employees are compliant with all applicable statutory and legal requirements. Mr. Jones also provides legal advice and coordinates all legal services required by the Argus Group. He is responsible for organising, attending and overseeing all meetings of the shareholders, the Board of Directors and its committees, subsidiaries of the company and senior management. He reports to the Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Jones is Bermudian and prior to his employment at Argus was an associate within the Corporate & Commercial Practice Group at Appleby, primarily working with the Funds & Investment Services team. He was called to the Bermuda Bar in October 2006. During his time at Appleby, Mr. Jones completed a secondment in Mauritius, registering as a foreign lawyer there in September 2009. Mr. Jones also previously worked at Promisant as Manager of Merchant Services, Butterfield Asset Management as Assistant Vice President of Sales & Customer Service and Butterfield Bank as Assistant Manager of Business Development for the International Corporate Banking Group.
