In March, he will depart for Hong Kong where he will spend about four and a half months followed by a month and a half in Singapore and three months in Europe.

The move will provide Mr. Richardson with first-hand experience with the bank's international business.

Executive vice president and chief operating officer Henry Smith said Mr.

Richardson's experience with the bank has been entirely within Bermuda.

In 1988, Mr. Richardson, a Chartered Accountant, joined the Bank of Bermuda and became senior vice president, banking in June of 1994.

Mr. Smith also said that it is "essential that the bank make every effort to expose its senior Bermudian management to the full scope'' of the bank's global activities.

In Mr. Richardson's absence, Danny Fox , recently appointed general manager, banking (Bermuda) will assume day-to-day responsibilities for retail banking.

He will report to Barry Shailer , executive vice president, banking, who retains overall responsibility for all banking services.

*** Bermuda-registered Jardine International Motor Holdings Ltd. has appointed a new chairman and a new CEO.

Simon Keswick , a member of the family that founded Jardine's, will step down as chairman of Jardine Motors while remaining a director, the company said.

Effective February 1, he will be succeed by Anthony Nightingale , already chairman of Jardine Pacific Ltd., director of Bermuda-registered Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. and joint managing director of Jardine Motors.

Richard Lee will retire as CEO of Jardine Motors and be replaced by Peter Ward , until recently chairman and CEO of Cunard Line Ltd.

Mr. Lee will become chairman of a Jardine car distribution subsidiary in China and Hong Kong.

*** Sphere Drake Insurance Plc announced yesterday that Sphere Drake Holdings Ltd.

general counsel Neil Cook has been appointed to the Sphere Drake Insurance Plc and Sphere Drake Underwriting Management Ltd. boards.

Mr. Cook joined Sphere Drake in May 1994 and was previously general counsel for seven years with Lifetime Corporation, a health care provider based in Boston. He is a UK solicitor and US attorney licensed in the state of New York.

Sphere Drake Holdings Ltd., through its London and Bermuda companies, provides resinsurance and specialty insurance.

*** Glenda M. Simons has been selected 1996 Employee of the Year by colleagues of the Heddington Group of Companies.

With Heddington Insurance Ltd. since 1992, when she joined as a senior accountant in the comptroller's department, Ms Simons is studying for her Chartered Management Accountant (CMA) designation at the Bermuda College.

*** After more than 38 years of service, senior manager, operations at Cable & Wireless (C&W), Bermuda, John A. Fuge , has been promoted to deputy general manager of the company.

Having been with C&W since 1958, Mr. Fuge has worked in Bermuda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Uganda and Bahrain.

Alan Richardson John A. Fuge Glenda M. Simons BUSINESS BUC