Bank CEO Peter Ho is bullish on Hawaii’s future

It was a year of prominence for Hawaii, and Peter Ho seemed to be right in the middle of things.

The CEO of Bank of Hawaii guided the state’s second-largest bank to one of the best financial performances in the nation, chaired the committee overseeing the largest gathering of world leaders in state history and served on the University of Hawaii’s football coach search advisory panel.

"The notion and importance of community as a core value is something integral to our past and vital to our future as an island community," Ho said. "Who leads our largest sports program, how Hawaii shows to the world and how local corporations support their community are all important building blocks."

Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO Mike McCartney, who served with Ho on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Hawaii Host Committee, said Ho had the right qualities for the job and helped turn Hawaii’s focus toward Asia.

"It took a collective effort to host this event as well as seize opportunities that will have a long-term benefit for Hawaii," McCartney said. "Peter was the perfect leader for the event and the time we’re in (in Hawaii).

"Peter has a good heart and a great mind. He is very principled and value-driven. He clearly understands who we are as a people, place and culture. He sees our opportunities and what we need to do to move forward together as a community. He is also analytical and has extensive global market knowledge. Peter is part of a new generation of leaders, and he gives me great hope in Hawaii’s future."

Jim Tollefson, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, said Ho was able to lead and coordinate the APEC host committee "to deal effectively and successfully with various international, national, state and local agencies and organizations while highlighting Hawaii as the perfect location to stage such an event."

Ho, who worked two years as APEC host committee chairman, said what he’ll remember most about APEC is the "tremendous community support" that the event garnered.

"We had over 2,500 applicants to fill 1,000 positions," Ho said. "Those ultimately selected did a world-class job in their role as stewards for Hawaii, and I can tell you the president and our senior senator (Daniel Ino­uye) were both extremely proud of how Hawaii reflected on the world stage."

While planning for APEC, Ho also guided Bank of Hawaii to another stellar year and helped the bank reach $13.3 billion in assets by the end of the third quarter. Earlier this month, Forbes magazine ranked Bank of Hawaii as one of the top two banks in the nation for the third year in a row.

"Peter’s done a great job," said Brett Rabatin, a Nashville, Tenn.-based analyst for Sterne Agee. "He basically has continued the legacy of Bank of Hawaii reporting strong profitability while managing a balance sheet conservatively and also balancing … his employees, the local community and the shareholders."

Besides the bank’s strong financial performance, Ho said 1,700, or nearly 70 percent, of the bank’s employees participated in one or more of the 50 community service projects that the bank sponsored this year.

"We may be one of the best banks in America, but our heart and soul rest right here in the islands," Ho said.

He said he was fortunate to serve on the selection committee to help the UH administration find a new head football coach.

"We found a great candidate in coach (Norm) Chow — perhaps the best fit in a generation," Ho said. "I’m quite certain he will not only win games, but will be a beacon of excellence for our young people to aspire around."