Butterfield Bank has appointed Meroe Park to the board as an independent director, bringing extensive public-sector leadership experience.

The bank said the move will enhance oversight across operations and risk management.

Michael Collins, the chairman and chief executive of Butterfield, said he was pleased to welcome back Ms Park.

He said: “Meroe brings over three decades of distinguished public-service experience, including deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the Smithsonian Institution and executive director and chief operating officer at the Central Intelligence Agency [the agency’s highest-ranking civil service position], where she operated at the intersection of governance, operations and public accountability.

“Meroe’s ability to navigate complexity and lead in demanding professional environments with diverse stakeholders, combined with her background in human resources, operations, technology and cybersecurity will add meaningful depth to our board deliberations.”

Ms Park has been at the Smithsonian, the largest museum and research complex in the world, for the past six years.

She oversees the organisation’s day-to-day operations, strategic planning and enterprise-wide initiatives across its museums, research centres and programmes.

Before the Smithsonian, Ms Park had a distinguished career at the CIA, serving 27 years in a series of increasingly senior leadership roles.

During her tenure at the agency, she was twice awarded the Presidential Rank Award and was recognised with the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal for her leadership.

Ms Park is on the board of directors of Georgetown University and has also served as executive vice-president of the Partnership for Public Service.

She previously served as a non-executive director of Butterfield from 2017-2020.