Board of directors

Mikael Hallåker, Chairman

Mikael Hallåker has worked for the parent company Svenska Handelsbanken since 2001 and is currently the Chairman of the Board for two other Handelsbanken Group subsidiaries: Handelsbanken Liv (life insurance) and Handelsbanken Fastigheter (property company). He is also a board member of the Handelsbanken Group's pension fund and the Group's pension trust. Mikael has been a member of senior management within the Bank’s parent, having previously been Head of Investor Relations and Rating at Svenska Handelsbanken since 2010.

Board committee memberships
Board Remuneration Committee
Board IT Strategy Committee

Maureen Laurie, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Board Remuneration Committee

Maureen Laurie’s background is in international financial services, news and the public sector, having held senior HR roles for Reuters, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Barclays International and Private Banking, London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE), Euronext NV/NYSE Inc and the British Council. She has also served as a Non-Executive Trustee Director and Independent Governor for London Metropolitan University; Independent Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair for the Cooperative Bank Plc, and as an elected Trustee Director for Reuters Pension Fund Limited.

Board committee memberships
Board Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Board Nomination Committee
Board IT Strategy Committee
Board Risk and Compliance Committee

John Ellacott, Independent Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Board Audit Committee

John Ellacott worked at KPMG for 33 years, including 21 years as a Partner, before retiring in September 2017. At KPMG, John was primarily an auditor, but also provided advisory services covering strategy, regulatory transactions and listings both in the UK and internationally. John specialised in the financial sector and has worked with many of the UK’s leading banks and building societies. John was a Governor of Giggleswick School and has also served on the regional board of the Prince’s Trust.

Board committee memberships
Board Audit Committee (Chair)
Board Risk and Compliance Committee
Board Remuneration Committee

Agneta Lilja, Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Board Nomination Committee

Agneta Lilja started her career in Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ.) in 1981 and during her time in the bank has held senior positions as Head of Handelsbanken International as well as an area manager in the Bank’s Stockholm region. Between 2010 and 2019 she has been a member of Handelsbanken AB (publ.) senior management, as Head of Central Infrastructure, Chief Information Officer and Executive Director.

Board committee memberships
Board Nomination Committee (Chair)
Board IT Strategy Committee (Chair)
Board Risk and Compliance Committee

Margaret Willis, Independent Non-Executive Director

Margaret has over 40 years’ experience in financial services, having held a number of senior roles. She was CEO of Unity Trust Bank and prior to that she undertook roles within HSBC in the UK, US and Canada. She was a member of HSBC European executive and risk management committee and diversity council. Her board experience included HSBC Securities and Global Asset Management, Canada. She returned to the UK in 2012 to lead HSBC Wealth Management Europe. Margaret is the Chair of Music for Youth, a national, UK- based youth arts charity. Margaret is also an INED on the Board of Handelsbanken Wealth and Asset Management since 1 February 2022.

Board committee memberships
Board Remuneration Committee
Board Risk and Compliance Committee
Board Audit Committee
Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management - Board
Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management - Remuneration Committee, Chair

Arja Taaveniku, Non-Executive Director

Arja has extensive experience of the Group, as she is an independent non-executive director of the Bank’s shareholder Svenska Handelsbanken. She spent over 30 years in leadership positions with a number of international retail organisations including serving at the IKEA group between 1989 and 2012. She was also the CEO of the Ikano Group which operates within Banking, Insurance, Property and Retail 2012-2015, and as the CEO of a subsidiary and a member of the Kingfisher Plc executive team between 2015 and 2018. Arja is chair of the board at Svenska Handelsfastigheter AB, and holds a non-executive director position at FTSE250 Dunelm plc. Previously she held a non-executive director role at Nobia Group. She is now also chairman of the board at Polarn O. Pyret.

Board committee memberships
Board Risk and Compliance Committee
Board IT Strategy Committee

Patricia Jackson, Independent Non-Executive Director

Patricia has 30 years’ experience in senior leadership roles supporting banks and other institutions in the development of their risk practices, capability and processes, both as a consultant and a non-executive director. Between 1994 and 2004 Patricia was the Head of the Financial Industry and Regulation Division of the Bank of England and in 2004 she became partner and Head of the Banking Risk Practice and EMEIA Risk Governance lead between 2013 and 2017.

Patricia started her career as non-executive director in 2008 and was a member of the Lloyd’s of London Franchise board from 2017 until 2020 where she chaired the risk committee. She currently holds non-executive director positions as Chair of the Board of SMBCNikko Capital Markets and Chair of the Risk Committee of a sister company SMBC Bank International, the European hub of SMBC.

Board committee memberships
Board Risk and Compliance Committee, Chair
Board Audit Committee
Board Nomination Committee

Mikael Sørensen, Chief Executive Officer

Mikael Sorensen was appointed CEO of Handelsbanken UK in September 2016. Before joining the UK, Mikael worked in numerous roles and regions across the Handelsbanken Group, including Branch Manager and Regional Area Manager in Denmark, General Manager in Poland, and as CEO in the Netherlands from 2007 to 2016. He has been a member of Handelsbanken’s Group Senior Management since 2013. Mikael sits on the Board of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, a not for profit organisation aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and businesses within the Swedish-British business community.

Board committee memberships
None

Martin Björnberg, Chief Financial Officer

Martin Björnberg joined Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ.) in 1989. Martin started working in the Bank’s branch operations as an account manager before moving to IT and business development operations where he led improvement and efficiency programmes for the Bank’s retail processes. Between 2002 and 2017 Martin moved on to hold senior management positions in one of the Swedish regions. He was also Head of HR for the Swedish Regional banks unit in Stockholm. Martin has held his current position of Chief Financial Officer for Handelsbanken’s UK operation since April 2017, with a short break between 1 December 2021 and 1 March 2022 when the position was held by Jorgen Olander, and he is also a director of a Handelsbanken Group entity, Stadshypotek AB.