Board of Directors

Gilbert ESPITALIER-NOËL

Executive Director, Chairman - up for re-election at the next Shareholders’ Meeting

(Born in 1964) - Appointed in: February 2013
Qualifications: Master of Business Administration, INSEAD, BSc University of Cape Town, BSc (Hons) Louisiana State University
Committee: Member of the Corporate Governance Committee

Professional Journey:

• CEO of ENL Limited and ENL Group
• CEO of New Mauritius Hotels Limited until June 2023
• Past CEO of ENL Property Limited
• Past Operations Director of Eclosia Group
• Former President of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Joint Economic Council and the Mauritius Sugar Producers Association; Past Vice-President of the Mauritius Export Association

Skills & Experience:

• In-depth knowledge and extensive experience of operations in ENL’s key sectors of activity
• Skilled at creating high-performing teams
• Strong proponent of entrepreneurship, innovation, and initiative
• Staunch advocate of, and extensive experience in, public-private partnership for economic stewardship
• Sound understanding of the business dynamics in Mauritius

Stéphane POUPINEL de VALENCÉ

Executive Director

(Born in 1978) - Appointed in:  May 2023
Qualifications: MBA (Paris Dauphine/Sorbonne); Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (Curtin University); BCom Management and Marketing (Curtin University); Professional Development Programme (Cornell University); Senior Executive Programme (London Business School); International Project Management (INSEAD)
Committee: Member of the Corporate Governance Committee and Risk Committee

Professional Journey:

• CEO of New Mauritius Hotels Limited since July 2023
• Former Managing Director of Semaris Ltd and Chief Officer – Real Estate & Construction of NMH
• Past Managing Director of Medine Property, the property arm of Medine Ltd
• Commenced his career in sales and marketing at Panagora Marketing Co. Ltd, part of the Eclosia Group
• Vice President of AHRIM

Skills & Experience:

• In-depth knowledge and experience of NMH’s key operations
• A strong focus on people empowerment and community development
• Extensive experience in leadership, property development and sales & marketing

Sharmila Banymadhub-Chakowa

Independent Non-Executive Director

(Born in 1963) - Appointed in: September 2023
Qualifications: Private Wealth & Family Office Management – Swiss Certified Course and Fellow of the Association of the Chartered Certified Accountant
Committee: Chairperson of the Risk Committee and Member of the Audit Committee

Professional Journey:

• Provision of financial advisory and family office management services 
• Local Representative and Director of CLSA (Mauritius) Limited, part of CITIC CLSA Group 
• Former Managing Partner of Temple Corporate Services Ltd and Corporate Support Services
• Held senior executive positions in Finance, Administration and Treasury Management in private companies

Skills & Experience:

• Dynamic and goal-oriented finance professional with over 30 years post-qualification experience in various sectors, the last 17 years being in financial services
• Managed a portfolio of global business companies and funds
• Expertise in risk management and mitigation systems, compliance, client onboarding and team-leadership
• Involved in setting-up internal controls systems and AML/CFT policies and procedures

Jitendra BISSESSUR

Non-Executive Director - resigned from the Board, effective November 2024.

(Born in 1966) - Appointed in: November 2021
Qualifications: BA (Hons) in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Delhi, India; MSc in Applied Economics with specialisation in banking and finance from the University of Mauritius
Committee: Member of the Risk Committee

Professional Journey:

• Chief Executive Officer of the Mauritius Investment Corporation Ltd (MIC) since March 2021. He was the Officer-in-Charge since the company’s inception in June 2020
• Previously Director of the Economic Analysis & Research and Statistics Department of the Bank of Mauritius (2018-2020). Joined the Research Department of the Bank of Mauritius in January 1991 and has over 30 years of experience in the central banking field. He has both an economics and statistics background
• Worked as an economist at the African Department of the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”) (2013-2014) and was part of the Article IV mission team to review macroeconomic developments and policies in Cameroon. He contributed to the Article IV Staff Report and Selected Issues Paper
• Led the team that set up the MIC and has been attending to corporate finance assignments, including asset valuation and asset management
• Former member of the Statistics Board and a Member of the IMF Task Force on Special Purpose Entities
• He has been responsible for the Bank of Mauritius’ regular publications, including the Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Quarterly Reports and Annual Report. He has been the Secretary of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (2014-2021) and was responsible for preparing the Monetary Policy Briefing Paper

Skills & Experience:

• Expertise in macroeconomic statistical analysis and framework and macroeconomic economic and policy analysis and forecasting
• Skilled in corporate valuation techniques and investment analysis
• Specific experience in assessing macroeconomic conditions and the stance of monetary,
exchange rate and financial policies
• Represented the Bank of Mauritius in numerous seminars/conferences/meetings at various levels and in various capacities

Herbert COUACAUD

Non-Executive Director – up for reappointment at the next Shareholders’ Meeting

(Born in 1948)
Appointed in: May 1981
Qualifications: BSc in Economics and Mathematics, University of Cape Town
Committee: Member of the Corporate Governance Committee

Professional Journey:

• Former Chief Executive Officer of New Mauritius Hotels Limited (from 1974 until his retirement in June 2015)

Skills & Experience:

• Significant contribution to the development of the tourism industry in Mauritius

Hector ESPITALIER-NOËL

Non-Executive Director

(Born in 1958)  Appointed in: April 1997
Qualifications: Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
Committee: Member of the Corporate Governance Committee

Professional Journey:

• CEO of ENL Limited and of ENL Group until 30 June 2023
• Worked for Coopers and Lybrand in London
• Worked for De Chazal du Mée in Mauritius
• Past Chairman of New Mauritius Hotels Limited, Semaris Ltd and Rogers and Company Limited
• Past Chairman of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture, the Mauritius Sugar Producers Association, and the Mauritius Sugar Syndicate

Skills & Experience:

• Extensive CEO and leadership experience and skills
• Strong financial management and strategic business planning skills
• Significant experience in alliances, ventures, and partnerships
• Staunch advocate for a more open national economy
• Advocate for a strong public-private sector partnership for sustainable growth
• Strong proponent of private enterprise and entrepreneurship
• Strongly convinced of the multidimensional role of business

Jean-Pierre MONTOCCHIO

Non-Executive Director

(Born in 1963) - Appointed in: April 2004
Qualifications: Notary
Committee: Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee

Professional Journey:

• Appointed Notary Public in Mauritius in 1990
• Contributed to the workings of the National Committee on Corporate Governance as a member of the Board of Directors’ Sub-Committee

Skills & Experience:

• Well-versed in corporate governance matters and NED experience across the private and public sectors
• Extensive experience in alliances, ventures, and partnerships
• Strong proponent of fairness in business
• Staunch defendant of shareholder’s interests

Alain REY

Independent Non-Executive Director

(Born in 1959) - Appointed in: February 2017
Qualifications: Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
Committee: Chairman of the Audit Committee

Professional Journey:

• Worked in the financial services industry at Citibank N.A. (France)
• Past Regional Corporate Director of Barclays Bank Plc at their Mauritius branch
• Past Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Novel Denim Holdings Ltd, a Nasdaq-listed company
• Past CEO of Compagnie de Mont Choisy Limitée, a group of companies involved in agricultural and property development activities

Skills & Experience:

• Extensive experience in the formulation and appraisal of risk assessment and management systems in various industries
• Past Chairman of various Strategic and Investment Committees and possesses banking and financial competence and expertise

Pauline SEEYAVE

Executive Director

(Born in 1974) - Appointed in: August 2016
Qualifications: Master of Arts, St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge and Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

Professional Journey:

• Group Chief Financial Officer of New Mauritius Hotels Limited since 2016
• Occupied senior executive roles in banking, including finance, risk management, credit, project finance and corporate banking
• Managed a wide portfolio of clients and across various sectors in Audit and Business Assurance in the UK
• Current Non-Executive Director of Innodis Ltd
• Member of the Listing Executive Committee of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius Ltd
• Past Director of SBM Bank (Mauritius) Ltd, State Insurance Company of Mauritius Ltd and Club Méditerranée Albion Resorts Ltd

Skills & Experience:

• Over 20 years in leadership roles
• Extensive experience in risk management, finance and corporate governance