Barbadian banker among six appointed after CIBC Caribbean training

CIBC Caribbean has appointed six young professionals to frontline banking roles across the region, including Barbadian Shamar Shorey, who joins the Platinum Banking team as a relationship manager.

The appointments follow the completion of the bank’s Chief Commercial Office Immersion Programme, which Chief Commercial Officer Pim van der Burg says challenges the notion that youth are unwilling to commit to the rigours of financial services.

Shorey, one of two personal and business banking appointees outside Jamaica, credited the programme with deepening his understanding of the bank’s operations and standards.

The Immersion Programme is an intensive 18-month initiative aimed at attracting top talent to CIBC Caribbean’s Corporate and Personal and Business Banking segments. It offers hands-on experience, guided mentorship, and exposure to key areas of the bank’s operations, all designed to prepare participants for frontline roles.

Graduates are offered permanent roles in the bank on completion of the programme.

Pim van der Burg charged his latest team members to remember that they are not just representatives of the bank but also trusted partners to their clients. He added that being a successful banker in today’s world is not a small feat, and requires commitment, dedication and demonstrated resilience.

He was among senior executives of CIBC Caribbean who attended a graduation ceremony for the group. Technology plays a huge role in the bank’s delivery of its banking services and equally played a major role in the graduation ceremony, which took place simultaneously via video conference in five Caribbean countries.

Shorey of Barbados, Andreen Mitchell from Jamaica and Trinidadian Christina Rammanth have all taken roles in the Personal and Business Banking teams, while Kara Daville from the Bahamas, Shaun Morgan from the Cayman Islands, and Kimani Nugent from Jamaica have been appointed to positions on the bank’s Corporate Banking team.

”My success story is that I was new to the bank and I went from learning to write small credits to working on multi-million-dollar credits in my time with the team,” Shorey said. ”My main takeaway from the programme is that each role and department is important to the success of the company, and having traversed through the different departments, I’ve grown a greater insight and appreciation into how interconnected we really are and how I have a direct duty to ensure my output matches the high standards upheld by the employees here.”

Chief Human Resources Officer, Janine Billy, noted that the programme is part of the bank’s wider strategy to “future-proof” CIBC Caribbean. She explained that initiatives such as the CCO Immersion Programme will help to create a modern, community and relationship-driven company that balances technology, innovation and efficiency with the right people in the right positions.

“This programme is designed to equip you with the skills and experience to become true financial coaches, helping clients achieve their ambitions while strengthening our growth as a bank,” Billy noted.

She emphasised the bank’s commitment to continuous development, noting that continuous learning and growth remain core pillars of the company’s culture, and are enthusiastically embraced by the bank’s staff across the Caribbean.

The graduates also heard from Director, Credit Underwriting and Portfolio Management, Jeffrey Newton. He reminded them that banking is not just about numbers, it is built on a foundation of trust, accountability, collaboration, innovation and most importantly, client service.

“We are not simply providing loans; we are helping clients turn their ambitions into reality, whether that’s a new home, a business venture, a project that supports communities and families,” Newton said.

He urged the new graduates to keep clients at the centre of every decision, to embrace continuous learning and carry forward the bank’s culture of care for themselves, their colleagues, their clients and their communities in all their interactions.

This cohort of the CIBC Caribbean CCO Immersion programme began their training in March 2024 and concluded in August 2025. (PR)