TORONTO, Dec. 5, 2011 /CNW/ - Scotiabank is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan L. Segal as a new member of the Bank's Board of Directors. Ms. Segal will be a member of the Audit and Conduct Review Committee.

Ms. Segal has more than 30 years of private sector experience operating in global financial markets and investment banking, primarily in Latin America and other emerging economies. She was also actively involved on advisory committees throughout the sovereign debt crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. Ms. Segal is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas based in New York.  She has held this position since 2003.

"Susan Segal's impressive international experience makes her a valued addition to Scotiabank and we look forward to her contribution to the Bank's continued global success," said Scotiabank Chairman John T. Mayberry.

In addition to sitting on the board of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas, Ms. Segal is a director of the Tinker Foundation and Latin American Venture Capital Association. She is also a member of the Commanders Advisory Panel: US Southern Command, the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Latin America, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Segal holds an MBA from the Columbia University School of Business, and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College.

Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 75,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve some 19 million customers in more than 55 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With assets above $575 billion (as at October 31, 2011), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.