Board of Directors

Gilbert ESPITALIER-NOËL

(Born in 1964) Non-Executive Director, Chairman

Appointed in: February 2013

Qualifications: Master of Business Administration from INSEAD; BSc University of Cape Town; BSc (Hons) Louisiana State University

Committee: Member of the Corporate Governance Committee

Professional Journey:

• CEO of Almarys Limited and Group CEO of ER Group Limited
• CEO of New Mauritius Hotels Limited until June 2023
• Past CEO of ENL Property Limited (Now ER 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 across ER Group’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 partnerships for economic stewardship
• Sound understanding of business dynamics in Mauritius

Stéphane POUPINEL de VALENCÉ

(Born in 1978) Executive Director, CEO

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
• Former 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
• 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 and marketing

Sharmila BANYMADHUB-CHAKOWA

(Born in 1963) Independent Non-Executive Director

Appointed in: September 2023
Qualifications: Private Wealth & Family Office Management – Swiss Certified Course and Fellow of the Association of the Chartered Certified Accountants
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

Herbert COUACAUD

(Born in 1948) Non-Executive Director

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

(Born in 1958) Non-Executive Director

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 (now Almarys Limited) and 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
• Firm believer of the multidimensional role of business

Jean-Pierre MONTOCCHIO

(Born in 1963) Non-Executive Director

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 defender of shareholder’s interests

Alain REY

(Born in 1959) Independent Non-Executive Director

Appointed in: February 2017
Qualifications: Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
Committee: Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Risk Committee

Professional Journey:

• Worked in the financial services industry at Citibank N.A. (France)
• Former 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
• Former 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 across multiple industries
• Past Chairman of various Strategic and Investment Committees bringing strong banking and financial competence and expertise

Pauline SEEYAVE

(Born in 1974) Executive Director

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' experience in leadership roles
• Extensive expertise in Risk Management, finance and Corporate Governance

Monia TAMRANI

(Born in 1983) Independent Non-Executive Director

Appointed in: October 2024
Qualifications: Master 2 Spécialisation : Audit - Contrôle de Gestion, EMLV Business School of Management Paris ; Postgraduate studies in Marketing et Gestion des Entreprises, ESC IDRAC Paris ; DUT Techniques de commercialisation, IUT de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
Committee: Member of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee

Professional Journey:
• CFO and Co-owner of Thymos Holding Ltd, Insite Construction Ltd, Indilinks, Direct Auto Ltd, Naeya Cosmetics Ltd (Kiko Milano), Naeya Homestyle Ltd (Muy Mucho), Naeya Accessories Ltd (Balabooste), NG Next 2 Ltd (Jules) and NG Next Ltd (Parfois) for 2021 to 2024
• CFO and Co-owner of Tyre Plus from 2010-2013
• Auditor for BDO DCDM from 2010-2011
• Consultant at Maurent Investment Limited to 2010-2011

Skills & Experience:
• Extensive experience in audit, corporate finance, financial analysis, Risk Management, financial acumen, networking, negotiation, sales and marketing