Female students receive career tips from CIBC Caribbean leaders

“Never limit yourself”, “Be open, to considering and making use of opportunities”. These were among the key takeaways which ten young female students said they received after spending International Women’s Day with CIBC Caribbean top executives and senior staff.

The students, drawn from ten secondary schools on the island, are approaching the tertiary stage of their education and contemplating the courses they need to take to achieve their career goals.

Those lessons were borne out throughout the day from the bank’s senior officials, starting during a welcome session with Chief Executive Officer, Mark St Hill; Chief Auditor Khadija Bourne; Chief Financial Officer Carl Lewis, and Managing Director, Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Donna Wellington,

Wellington said she looked forward to having the students as guests to interact with them about their careers and give them some insights as to the way forward. She told the students that at their age, she saw the bank from the perspective of a branch involved with handling customers’ financial transactions only. She however explained that most employees don’t work in the branch and assured them that they would learn more about this as the day progressed.

For the students, they all confirmed that it was a worthwhile exercise. Later, they toured several departments where they met with senior officers who not only explained the departments’ functions and the various careers available but shared personal stories about their academic and career journeys to the positions they currently hold.

Trashana Hinds, an Upper Sixth form student of the St Michael School described the staff as approachable, added: “Having the privilege of venturing across the different departments widened my knowledge … and also gave me insight on how best I could accomplish my goal of pursuing my dream career in accounting as I received valuable advice.”

“This experience touched me to the point where I feel the need to encourage those in my immediate circle to always dream big and never limit yourself as there are a range of careers to pursue in today’s world. I hope that this great initiative continues in the future so many will be touched in the same way I was!” she added.

Tyra Taitt, an Upper Sixth form student of The Ellerslie school was also grateful for the experience describing it as informative and an eye opener. She spoke positively about the bank’s attitude toward women, noting that its staff was 70 per cent women and that women made up about 50 per cent of its senior management.

“However, one of the most important things I learned was ‘to always be open’, she said, referring to the advice from several senior bankers that they should take advantage of learning and career opportunities and not be too worried if circumstances cause them to change career paths, since at their age and given the pace of change, they may discover new interests and opportunities, as was the case with several staff members who shared their stories with them.

“It was an amazing experience… meeting the staff of CIBC and getting an insight into what their day-to-day jobs are,” Taitt concluded.

“It doesn’t have to end today, if something pops up in your head, write it down and reach back to us,” Michelle Whitelaw, Director of Personal and Business Banking Channels told the students as she also surprised them each with a $500 bank account to get them started on their financial journey