December 28, 2006

FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK ANNOUNCES
VICE PRESIDENT PROMOTIONS

(Honolulu, Hawaii, December 28, 2006) - First Hawaiian Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Don Horner announced that the following officers have been promoted to the position of Vice President:

  • Pauline B. Akiona to vice president, Card Services Division
  • Matthew E. Chun to vice president, Risk Management Department
  • Bernadette “Bernie” K. Gaspar to vice president, Hawaii Dealer Center
  • Jeff N. M. Higashi to vice president and team leader, Corporate Banking Division
  • Cheryl Y. T. Shimabukuro to vice president, Commercial Loan Center
  • Lynne Ushijima to vice president, Business Services - Support
  • Eliza E. Young to vice president, Credit Services Center
  • Robert Shiroma to vice president and division manager, Bank Properties Division

Akiona, who has been with the Card Services Division for over 12 years, joined First Hawaiian Bank in 1974 as a teller. She is responsible for vendor and contract management. She is a graduate of Kamehameha School and the ABA School of Bank Card Management.

Chun joined First Hawaiian Bank in 2005 as assistant vice president, Commercial Banking Operations and Systems. He is a graduate of Maryknoll School and earned a bachelor of business administration honors degree in finance and marketing from the University of Hawaii.

Gaspar has been with First Hawaiian Bank's Dealer Center Division since 1987. She has held several positions including credit investigator clerk, loan clerk, operations officer, assistant operations supervisor and assistant vice president. She is responsible for managing the wholesale operations for the Hawaii Dealer Center Division. She is a graduate of Kamehameha School.

Higashi, who joined First Hawaiian Bank in 1990 as a credit analyst, is a graduate of Damien High School in La Verne, California and earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Hawaii. He is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School in Seattle.

Shimabukuro joined First Hawaiian Bank in 1972 as a management trainee and has held several positions including assistant cashier, loan officer and assistant vice president. She is a graduate of Roosevelt High School and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii.

Ushijima began her career at First Hawaiian Bank as a bankcard specialist in 1988 and has been with the Business Services Division since 1991. She is a graduate of McKinley High School and earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Hawaii.

Young, who joined First Hawaiian Bank in 1990 as a credit analyst, was promoted to senior credit analyst in 1993 and was named assistant vice president in 1998. She is a graduate of McKinley High School and has a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Hawaii.

Shiroma, who joined First Hawaiian Bank in 1980 as Bank Properties assistant, was promoted to officer in 1985 and vice president in 1997. He is a graduate of St. Louis School and received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii.

First Hawaiian Bank ($11.9 billion assets) was founded in 1858 and is Hawaii's oldest and largest bank. It has 57 branches in Hawaii, three on Guam and two on Saipan. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, a financial holding company with assets of $67.8 billion.

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