CIBC FirstCaribbean offers career advice to students

Chief Executive Officer of CIBC FirstCaribbean Mark St. Hill  believes that students should focus on getting a strong educational foundation and while they may favour a specific career, they should not ‘lockdown” themselves. 

“Pick an area, enjoy it, but try to get as much education as possible before you start work,” Mr. St. Hill told four students, Omari Cheltenham of St. Leonard’s Boys, Caleb Collymore of Coleridge & Parry, Dario Cox from Combermere, and Micah Pitt of Queen’s College. The four were chosen to participate in the bank’s International Men’s Day outreach activity to secondary schools. This year, the activity was done a little later than on the traditional November 19th. 

At the start of the day, all four who have an interest in finance or business said they were grateful to be selected by their schools and would seek to gain as much as possible from the opportunity. Omari Cheltenham said he expected to get an insight into the working of the bank, which would be helpful as he plots his future career path, while Caleb Collymore said he was looking forward to the event and learning as much as possible. 

During their official welcome, they got their first introduction to CIBC FirstCaribbean when Mr. St. Hill explained that the bank was best described as a finance company, driven by technology and he suggested that in addition to pursuing subjects traditionally associated with banking, those entering the field need to keep an eye on technology and data. He said that information security was critical to the bank and those working to maintain the security system in such institutions were currently few and in demand. 

Students Caleb Collymore, Coleridge & Parry; Omari Cheltenham, St. Leonard’s Boys; Dario Cox, Combermere; Micah Cox Queen’s College interacting with Head, Credit Underwriting & Portfolio Management Corporate & Investment Banking Jeffrey Newton.

Hill’s advice not to lock themselves down was reinforced by Managing Director of Barbados Operating Company, Donna Wellington, during her session, when she cited herself as an example, having started outside the banking sector but eventually taking opportunities that led to her current position. She added that she had to work while studying, which was challenging, though not impossible. She, too, suggested that students do as much academic work as they could before entering the world of work. 

It was from Chief Administration Officer Neil Brennan, who is in charge of the bank’s human resources, that the students learned of the several career streams available in the bank. He said that several areas which they might not associate with banking but were part of the company include law, marketing, technology and looking after real estate. He added that, like many organisations today, the bank was interested in the environment and reducing its carbon footprint, therefore this was another area with career possibilities. 

During the day, the students visited and were engaged with officials at the Dome Mall, Warren’s branch as well as at various departments, including risk management, marketing and technology. 

At the end, they said they had learned a lot. Micah Pitt described the exercise as valuable, noting that he gained insight into how the bank operated and was grateful to learn of the various positions available. He noted that, for him, the main insight was that one should not assume that a career path must or will be straight. He said this was obvious after meeting top officials who started with one approach but embraced growth and opportunities and were now in positions they might not have initially considered, but in which they were satisfied. 

Fellow participant, Dario Cox, said the event broadened his view on the commercial bank, which he previously viewed almost entirely from a retail perspective. At the start, he was not settled on a career path, though he cited business and finance, accounting, sports coaching, and international cricket as his forerunners. He said during the exercise he had seen some more interesting areas, including technology and customer complaints. (PR)