José Maria Ricciardi
José Maria Espírito Santo Silva Ricciardi | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 27, 1954 Portugal |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, banking professional |
| Known for | CEO of Espírito Santo Sociedade de Investimentos (now Haitong Bank) |
José Maria Espírito Santo Silva Ricciardi (born 27 October 1954) is a distinguished Portuguese economist and banking professional.
Career
Ricciardi earned his degree in Applied Economic Sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, graduating with distinction. His academic research concentrated on decision-making processes within banking related to investment credit.
He embarked on his banking profession in the late 1970s at Banco Inter-Atlântico, SA based in Rio de Janeiro. Between 1981 and 1983, he held the position of financial controller at the European branch of the Espírito Santo Group (GES), supporting the General Financial Controller on a global scale. In 1983, he was appointed Deputy Director at Banco Espírito Santo International Limited, and four years later, in 1987, he advanced to Director of the Merchant Banking Division at Banco Internacional de Crédito, S.A (BIC).
During the early 1990s, Ricciardi served as Deputy General Director of Direcção Geral de Empresas and also as Director of Capital Markets at BIC. His transition into investment banking occurred in 1992 when he took on the role of Director at Espirito Santo Sociedade de Investimentos, SA (ESSI), currently known as Haitong Bank, S.A. He was promoted to Vice-President of its Board in 1995 and later became CEO in 2003, spearheading its strategic development and expansion into new markets.
Public Recognition
In 2012, coinciding with the Year of Portugal in Brazil, Ricciardi was honored as "Entrepreneur of the Year in Portugal" by the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Rio de Janeiro.
The following year, in 2013, he was awarded the "Business Expansion Award" by the UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment, acknowledging Espírito Santo Investment Bank’s significant role as an investor within the UK market. Additionally, he participated in the "Global Investment Conference 2013," alongside finance ministers from G7 nations under the UK’s G8 presidency.
That same year, the financial magazine World Finance recognized him as "Banker of the Year in Europe." He earned this accolade once more in July 2016 for his instrumental leadership during Haitong Securities’ acquisition of BESI and the subsequent growth of Haitong Bank.