First Caribbean national appointed Chief Risk Officer at CIBC

Regional bank CIBC Caribbean has announced the appointment of Monique French as Chief Risk Officer from next month.

She replaces retiring Patrick McKenna whose tenure ends on April 30.

“I am extremely proud and pleased to welcome Monique French to her new role as our Chief Risk Officer, effective May 1, 2025,” said Chief Executive Officer Mark St Hill, noting that she was “eminently qualified for her new responsibility”.

She is the first Caribbean national to hold this position at CIBC Caribbean.

French has over 20 years’ experience in the finance and banking sector and is currently Chief Credit Officer with the bank with responsibility for implementing credit policies, models and risk appetite for investment and credit portfolios along with ensuring effective credit structuring, monitoring, and regulatory compliance.

She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She also holds a Master of Business Administration with a specialisation in Finance from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst and the vice president of the CFA Society of Jamaica.

She joined the bank in 2014 having served as Senior Vice President of Credit Risk with another financial institution in Jamaica.

French leads the bank’s Women’s Network, which provides mentorship, professional support and networking opportunities to women in leadership positions across the bank’s geographic footprint.

In 2021, she was named among eight female winners in the Americas as part of the prestigious WeQual Awards, which shines the spotlight on female leadership across a range of categories. (PR)