James Polk to lead Bank of Hawaii as Peter Ho retires
The board of directors “unanimously selected” James C. Polk, as present and CEO, according to a Feb. 4 release CHamoru Standard Time as Peter Ho’s retirement was announced, effective March 31.
Polk is currently president and chief banking officer. He will also join the board of directors of the bank, the release said.
According to Glimpses Media files, Polk was appointed president in 2024, which the bank confirmed in its release was “part of the company’s considered succession plan.”
Polk and Ho. Photos courtesy Bank of Hawaii
Polk served in Guam as executive vice president and manager of the Pacific Islands Division of the Bank of Hawaii from 2006 until 2009 and has regularly returned to Guam and the region through the years. Polk joined Bank of Hawaii in 1999.
He will succeed Peter Ho, who following his retirement “plans to serve as a consultant to the company following his retirement through the end of 2027,” the release said.
Ho — aged 60 — joined Bank of Hawaii in 1993, and after rising through various appointments, was named president in 2008 and appointed chairman and CEO in 2010. He has also appeared regularly at Bank of Hawaii events in the islands.
Raymond P. Vara Jr. president and CEO of Hawaii Pacific Health, Bank of Hawaii Corp.’s lead independent director, will assume the new role of non-executive chairman of BOHC’s board of directors on April 1, the release said. mbj
With Super Typhoon Bavi now packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and forecast to strengthen further as it moves toward the Marianas, emergency officials are urging businesses and residents to treat this weekend as their critical window to prepare for potentially damaging winds.
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are now in Condition of Readiness 3 as Typhoon Bavi approaches, with both governors urging residents and businesses to use the remaining hours of fair weather to prepare.
Task Force Talon relinquished command to the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (3-43 ADA), ushering in a new battalion to take over Guam’s air missile defense systems.
Emergency management agencies across the region are urging residents and businesses to execute disaster preparedness plans as Tropical Storm 09W is forecast to rapidly intensify and potentially strike Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as a Category four super typhoon.
