Caribbean News
CIBC Caribbean is reorganizing its Call Centres across the region, creating new ‘Digital Branch’.
Media Release
Bridgetown, Barbados, May 22, 2024 – A reorganization does not always have to result in displaced and unhappy employees. CIBC Caribbean is proving this to be true as it unveils plans for the creation of a “Digital Branch” out of its current Call Centres.
The establishment of a new Call Centre facility in Kingston, Jamaica, and the creation of new job opportunities for some of its employees are among the exciting changes CIBC Caribbean has announced, as it retools its contact centres for the new era of digital banking. The changes have come after extensive consultation with the various stakeholders involved.
The bank has firmly established itself as the leader in digital banking in the region, with the introduction to the market of world-class mobile and online banking services, online account opening, the provision of loans for qualified clients in 10 minutes or less, and the popular suite of instant payments options headlined by the “1st Pay” service.
Now, CIBC Caribbean has outlined plans to take the service provided by its contact centres to the next level, with the creation of a “Digital Branch”, encompassing its call centres in Barbados and Jamaica.
The Bank’s CEO, Mark St. Hill said: “As a dynamic business in an ever-changing banking landscape, we strive to constantly improve our business for the benefit of both our staff and our clients. In line with our goal of providing our clients with a true omni-channel banking experience, in addition to continuing to provide first-class service in our branches, we are converting our Call Centers into true contact centers. In essence, we are reimagining our Call Centres into a Digital Branch.
“This move helps more of our clients who choose to go digital to use our self-serve channels to do their everyday banking, by placing our professionals at their disposal should they need help navigating these channels. It also allows our team members to further develop their skills to become more involved in sales and act as financial coaches to our clients.”
Chief Information Officer, Esan Peters, under whose remit the Call Centres fall, noted that while the plan makes it necessary to close the Bank’s Contact Centre in The Bahamas and relocate the Contact Centre currently located in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to the Kingston area, it is a move that the bank is making following full consultation with all stakeholders. The current Call Centre in Barbados remains.
Mr. Peters added that this decision was taken against the background of the bank being able to provide different opportunities for many of the bank’s employees currently working in the Jamaica and Bahamas facilities.
He noted: “This exercise is about reallocating our resources with the best possible outcome for all stakeholders, and we are undertaking these changes with their understanding. Our intention is to retain any full-time members of staff who wish to remain in the company. Any employees who are close to retirement or who wish to transition out of the company will also be facilitated. There are also options for redeployment within other areas of the bank available to any employee affected by the changes.”
CIBC Caribbean’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Janine Billy, noted that the development is a carefully coordinated exercise, to ensure that there is the best possible outcome for all employees.
“We’ve had extensive consultations with our employees, our union partners, and where necessary, as in the case of The Bahamas, the Labour Department, to find the best solutions that leave each employee feeling well cared for and accommodated.”
She added: “In Jamaica, for example, we will consider employees who wish to exercise their option to move to Kingston and we are facilitating introductions to other Call Centres in the Montego Bay area for those who don’t. The same is true in The Bahamas where, assisted by the Labour Department, we are also facilitating introductions to other companies for affected employees.”
She noted: “For others, we are offering secondments opportunities in other areas of the business, so that they can fully leverage their strengths and additional experience, secure the necessary training, and eventually move into other areas of the business in which they are interested. We are creating what we call a Culture of Care in our bank, and these changes are within that context. Our aim is to set up our employees for success, so that they can continue to grow and develop in our company.”
St. Hill added: “With the expanded remit of the Call Centres, there may be opportunities for other employees in the company who are interested in sales and developing the specialized skills necessary to be a member of our Digital Branch. With the continued development of facilities such as our LoanStore, increased support for clients using our digital services is critical and we want our team to be fully equipped to take advantage of the available opportunities.”
The changes become effective in June.
Castries, March 2025. Saint Lucia has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring human rights for all.
This was the collective assertion, as over 20 national stakeholders participated in a two-day national Human Rights workshop. This initiative was hosted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Regional Caribbean office, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s satellite office in Saint Lucia, and the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and Diaspora Affairs. 
The workshop, was designed to enhance awareness of the International Human Rights System, including treaty bodies and human rights mechanisms; build capacity of government officials and civil society members in data gathering and human rights reporting; and to highlight the role that respective agencies and their constituents play within this system. The Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs is the focal agency for Human Rights in Saint Lucia.
In welcoming participants, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Ms. Janelle Modeste-Stephen, noted that advancing human rights was a shared responsibility. “Government must enact policies and safeguard rights. Civil society must continue to advocate and mobilize. The private sector must embrace inclusive practices. Communities must challenge discrimination and uphold the dignity of every individual,” She urged stakeholders to use the workshop as an opportunity to learn, collaborate and commit to concrete action that will make human rights a lived reality for all in Saint Lucia. “Together, we can build a society, where justice, equality and inclusion are not just aspirations but everyday realities”, she stated.
A key objective of the workshop was to reactivate and strengthen the capacity of Saint Lucia’s National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights, which was established by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2019. The Ministry of External Affairs serves as the Chair and Secretariat of the Committee, which comprises representatives from various government ministries. The committee is responsible for analyzing the human rights situation at the national level and collaborates to report on recommendations aligned with Saint Lucai’s national priorities. The active
functioning of the National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights is crucial for promoting and protecting human rights.
Reflecting on the utility of the workshop, Ms. Bynta Ernest, the representative from the Department of Gender Affairs on the National Human Rights Committee noted that the session was essential to the Committee’s revitalization and to demonstrating its importance in advancing human rights in Saint Lucia. “The practical sessions towards reporting on the recommendations from the last Universal periodic Review (UPR) were also very useful to kick-start the process towards meeting our October 2025 UPR reporting deadline,” she added.
In fulfillment of Saint Lucia’s human rights related reporting obligations and deadlines, workshop participants prepared a draft plan of action to devise next steps to advance Saint Lucia’s human rights agenda.
The workshop was held at the Harbor Club Hotel, from March 5-6, 2025. Participants included representatives from departments of External Affairs, Health, Education, Labor, Justice, Human Services, Gender Affairs, Immigration, Equity, Economic Development, the National Statistical Office, the Parliamentary Commissioner’s Office, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, the Attorney General’s Office, and the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.
Photo Captions:
1st insert: Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
2nd insert: Bynta Ernest, Gender Affairs
Kingston, Jamaica, March 10, 2025 – The Government has significantly increased investments in healthcare and should another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic hit the island, the country will be better equipped to deal with it, according to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Speaking at the unveiling of a monument in honour of healthcare workers who died while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, today (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew, the Prime Minister said out of a commitment to strengthen the healthcare system and to strengthen the healthcare workforce, the Government instituted the Dr. Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship in 2024.
“We are investing $2.5 billion to support 607 students pursuing studies in medical technology, nursing, biomedical engineering, and other critical health-related fields,” he said, adding that the fund is ensuring the building of a robust pipeline of professionals “dedicated to service in the health sector.
“This is a solid commitment of how the Government is dealing with building resilience in the system, supporting our professionals, and at the same time ensuring that we can deliver healthcare with care,” the Prime Minister said.
He noted that while July has been earmarked to recognise the “selfless contribution of those who carried us through the crisis, more needs to be done”.
“Our appreciation cannot be confined to a single month or a single event. It must be reflected in how we value and support our healthcare professionals every single day. To the families of the fallen, I know that no words can fill the space left, especially for your loved ones,” Dr.
Holness said.
The Prime Minister underscored that the legacies of the healthcare workers live on in the patients they treated, the lives they touched, and now in the monument that has been erected.
“Let us commit to a Jamaica where those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are themselves cared for. Let us also commit to upholding the values these healthcare workers have embodied – care, compassion, resilience and unity. In their action and sacrifice, they made a choice,” the Prime Minister said.
March 10 marks the fifth anniversary since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the country, and the fourth year since the start of the recovery with the administration of vaccines.
Contact: Garfield L. Angus
Release: JIS
-
News1 week agoHealth Promotion and Advocacy Unit Hosts Master Training of Trainers for Peer Education in Collaboration with PAHO
-
News3 days agoTurks and Caicos Advances Virtual Asset Regulation with Capacity-Building Workshop
-
Health3 days agoColombian Medical Team saves North Caicos Boy from rare throat disorder
-
Crime1 week ago*TCI POLICE STATEMENT* – March 8, 2025 – SHOOTING INCIDENT (Update)
-
News1 week agoLiam Missick Joins Experience Turks and Caicos as Digital Marketing Specialist
-
News2 days agoDepartment of Tourism Regulations Engages Clement Howell High School Students in Immersive Tourism Education Experience
-
Health5 days agoMinistry of Health Encourages Early Detection on World Kidney Day
-
Government4 days agoSwearing-in of the 30th Canadian Ministry led by Mark Carney, New Prime Minister