HSBC Channel Islands staff shine at global excellence awards in Kuala Lumpur

Eleven employees from HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man have been recognised at the bank’s annual global staff awards, with two Jersey-based colleagues receiving individual honours at a prestigious international event.

The group was among a select cohort invited to HSBC’s Circle of Excellence, a global recognition programme for the top 1–2% of customer-facing staff in the bank’s International Wealth and Premier Banking division.

Held last month in Kuala Lumpur, the four-day event brought together 360 award recipients from across the global organisation under the theme “Celebrate. Connect. Grow.” The programme combines leadership sessions with curated experiences designed to strengthen collaboration and broaden participants’ perspectives on global banking opportunities.

Among this year’s standout achievers was Charlie Ovenden, Area Premier Relationship Manager at HSBC in Jersey, who received the Global People Leader Award. She was one of just seven global winners to receive the honour and also earned special recognition during the event.

Also representing Jersey, Premier Relationship Director James Bacon was named runner-up in the Customer Centricity Award category, recognising excellence in client service and relationship management.

The Circle of Excellence is designed to recognise high-performing staff while supporting their development and retention through networking, leadership engagement and skills development initiatives.

Commenting on the strong representation from the islands, Alvaro Teixeira, Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking for Channel Islands and Isle of Man at HSBC, said attendance at the programme was itself a significant achievement.

“Attending the Circle of Excellence is already a major achievement - winning a global award is an even greater distinction,” he said. “Charlie fully deserved the People Leader accolade. She embodies our mantra of ‘we succeed together’, delivering strong results while investing in others’ growth.”

He added that Ovenden had supported multiple promotions over the past year, helped colleagues gain professional qualifications, and led community and inclusion initiatives across the bank.

“Congratulations to Charlie, as well as James and all 11 colleagues from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, for making it into the Circle of Excellence,” he said.