Executive Management

Timothy Sawyer, C.B.E

Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Timothy Sawyer was the Chief Investment Officer at Innovate, UK Research and Investment, the Investment arm of the UK Government. Mr. Sawyer has over 30 years of international experience in financial services, including 20 years’ experience at Executive level as CEO/COO/CIO and Chairman.

Mr. Sawyer has held a number of respectable positions in the industry, including Chairman of Folk2Folk, a lending organization based in the West Country in the UK, and Banque Dubois of Switzerland. He was awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth for his services to the UK industry.

Mr. Sawyer holds first class honors in Master of Arts in History from the University of Oxford, UK. He is an Associate of Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Mr. Sawyer has no shares in the Bank.

Aishath Noordeen

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Aishath Noordeen joined the Bank in 1982. She became Deputy CEO in 2012 and served as a government appointed Director on the Bank’s Board of Directors from 2008 until 2014.

Aishath has a career spanning over 30 years in the banking industry and has worked in numerous areas of the Bank. She has served as Acting CEO and Managing Director on two separate occasions.

Aishath has represented the Bank in various fora both locally and internationally and is extremely well known among the Maldives’ business community. She was instrumental in establishing the Bank’s award winning international banking business.

Nandana Senevirathne

Finance Director

Nandana Senevirathne joined the Bank as Finance Director in January 2014. He has over 18 years of experience in the financial services sector in banks as well as leasing and insurance companies.

Prior to joining Bank of Maldives, Nandana was the Chief Financial Officer of AIG Insurance Limited, Sri Lanka. During his career, he also worked for four years at KPMG Maldives.

Nandana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy and Financial Management from University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

Sahar Waheed

People & Change Director

Sahar Waheed joined the Bank in 2006. She became People & Change Director in 2014.

Sahar has over 10 years of experience in banking and prior to her appointment as People and Change Director, she served as Head of Strategic Planning and Change Management and as Deputy Manager, Credit Department.

Sahar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Economic History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom.

Rashfa Jaufar

Credit Director

Ms. Rashfa Jaufar joined the Bank in 2004. She became Credit Director in 2014.

A credit risk management professional, during her tenure Rashfa has fulfilled the roles of Acting Chief Credit Officer, Manager, Credit Department and Head of Credit.

Rashfa holds a Master of Arts in Accountancy – Political Economy from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Adly Ahmed Didi

Technology Director

Adly Ahmed Didi joined the Bank in August 1997.

With over 18 years of experience in the field of Information Technology, Adly started his career in the Bank as Manager, Information Technology. He also served as Head of Information Technology before joining the Bank’s executive committee as Technology Director in 2014.

Adly holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Staffordshire University, United Kingdom.




Aishath Zamra Zahir

Marketing Director

Aishath Zamra Zahir joined the Bank in April 2015.

Prior to joining Bank of Maldives, Zamra worked at Ooredoo Maldives as Head of Marketing Communications where she was responsible for the management and coordination of all communications, advertising and public relations.

Zamra holds a Masters Degree in Public Relations from Bournemouth University, United Kingdom.




Kuldip Paliwal

Director of Business

Kuldip Paliwal joined the Bank in January 2016. He is currently Director of Business with responsibility for Retail, SME and Corporate Banking.

Kuldip is a career banker with around 20 years of experience in the field of Consumer, Commercial and Corporate Banking. He has worked in senior roles in a number of banks in India such as ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank & Citibank. Prior to joining Bank of Maldives, he was Head of Corporate & Investment Banking at Exim Bank, Tanzania.

Kuldip holds a Master of Business Economics (Finance) from D.A. University, Indore, India, a Master of Science (Statistics) from University of Allahabad, India and a Bachelor of Science (Statistics & Mathematics) from University of Allahabad, India. He is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers.

Harithirtham Vijayabalan

Chief Internal Auditor

Harithirtham Vijayabalan joined the Bank in May 2016.

Vijayabalan has over 30 years of experience in banking and auditing. Prior to joining Bank of Maldives, he worked at Oman Reinsurance Company, Oman as Head of Internal Audit. He has held senior management positions in organizations such as HSBC Bank, Oman, DCB Bank, India, ICICI OneSource Solutions Ltd, India and Reserve Bank of India.

Vijayabalan holds a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Cochin, India and a Bachelor of Science degree from Madras Christian College, India. He is a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Internal Information System Auditor and a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers.

Gary Laughton

Chief Risk Officer

Gary Laughton joined the Bank in January 2020.

Gary has over 33 years of extensive experience in corporate, commercial and private client banking. Prior to joining the Bank, he held the position of Chief Credit Officer at Investec Bank Plc, London.

He holds Master of Leadership (MBL), Bachelor of Commerce (Bcom), in addition to the professional qualifications which includes CAIB (Associate Diploma of the Institute of Bankers South Africa and LIB (Commercial Banking Licentiate Diploma in Commercial Banking) – The Institute of Bankers South Africa.

Suri Hanim Mohamed

Islamic Banking Director

Suri Hanim Mohamed joined the Bank in January 2020.

Suri has over 19 years of senior leadership experience in setting up and managing new Islamic Banking business units. She was previously a consultant in Tawafuq Consultancy Sdn Bhd, Malaysia and she has also held the position of Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia.

She holds Master of Islamic Financial Practice from the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Malaysia.

Gulnaz Mahir

Director of Customer Service

Gulnaz Mahir joined the Bank in February 2020.

Gulnaz has over 13 years’ experience in the field of customer experience management, digital transformation and revenue management. She most recently held the position of Head of Customer Care at Ooredoo Maldives.

Gulnaz holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Bristol, UK.