HARD work, determination and humility — along with a healthy display of leadership qualities — are all factors that Mark Chisholm credits for his recent promotion.

The 43-year-old is the new executive vice-president of the Individual Insurance Division for Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited and its subsidiary Sagicor Life of the Cayman Islands.

Chisholm assumed the position on January 1 this year, after more than 20 years of work with the company and having most recently been vice-president and head of Individual Lines Business – Sales.

That appointment had followed in the wake of his working his way up the ranks from the Premium Accounts Department at what was then Life of Jamaica, in 1989.

“I applied myself and focused on my job which was a clerk at the time. My hard work and dedication paid off as I started to receive numerous promotions within two weeks to a year. In 1998, I was promoted to marketing manager. In 2005, I was promoted to assistant vice-president and in 2008, I advanced to vice-president for the division,” Chisholm, who grew up in Arnett Gardens/Trench Town, told Career & Education, chronicling his journey over the years.

His current duties are centred around developing and implementing the division’s strategic plan and designing programmes aimed at increasing financial advisors’ and insurance operations administrative staff productivity.

Further, Chisholm said he will “provide leadership for the field force of Sagicor Life Jamaica and Sagicor Life of the Cayman Islands and the insurance operations administrative staff on an ongoing basis”.

The holder of a master’s in business administration from the University of the West Indies, he is thrilled at the prospect.

“I am extremely happy to be in a position where I can add even greater value to the organisation and by extension to the team. Also, my appointment is a testimony [to the fact] that goals are achievable and I am hoping that my story is an inspiration for persons coming up in the organisation to work towards their full potential,” Chisholm said.

He added that there were a number of strengths that he brings to the position, some of them derived from his two decades of experience in the insurance business, with an emphasis on sales and marketing.

“I have worked in the Customer Service, New Business and Premium Accounts departments. I am innovative, strategic and, most importantly, I think and live outside the box,” said Chisholm, who now supervises the work of 14 branch managers, two assistant vice-presidents and seven managers — in addition to some 700 employees.

His boss, Richard Byles has had nothing but good things to say about him. Chisholm, he noted, was appointed on the basis of his strong background in administration, his years of consistently high performance and his strong leadership qualities in achieving high sales results.

“Mark is expected to achieve all our sales and marketing objectives for Individual Line. He is expected to find new products [and] improve efficiency and customer service within the Individual Line Division,” Byles said.

Chisholm said he intends in the coming months to realise just those objectives and more.

“As a company, we want to take insurance and long-term savings to the underserved marketplace, which is referred to as the base of the pyramid. By this I refer to a group of persons earning a certain income level. If we focus on energising the base of the pyramid this can spur economic growth and inevitable will result in success,” he told Career & Education.

“I want to develop and help persons to grow into the best they can be. My dream is to have a wider cross section of people who are successful in what they do whether they remain at Sagicor or not. It’s very important to me when I see someone being groomed and mentored to their potential and knowing that I contributed to that individual’s growth,” Chisholm added.

He has urged persons interested in snagging a promotion at work to go for it.

“Hard work is very important, especially in the beginning,” Chisholm advised. “I believe that being able to stand out rather than fitting in will determine success. Learn to treat your job as if it is your own business in addition to creating value in whatever you do. Most importantly, practise continuous growth in both work and personal life because balance is key.”

Meanwhile, in reflecting on his own growth and success over the years, he said he had no regrets. According to Chisholm, he was motivated to succeed from day one.

“I was motivated to help break the cycle of poverty so although I am from humble beginnings, I strongly felt that success is created in any environment. Your environment cannot be the only determinant of your success or your failures; it should be the inspiration,” he said.

“Fortunately for me, I had a praying mother and persons in my community [who] cared about my welfare. My mother instilled in me the values of hard work, a sense of responsibility and being respectful so even though there were hurdles of financial assistance, I had love and good nurturing and that is what I firmly believe has moulded me into who I am today,” Chisholm added.

He has encouraged inner city and poor youths to strive to realise their own goals, bearing these tips in mind:

* Never allow your environment to determine how you behave.

* Strive for perfection and dream big.

* Always remain determined, despite your circumstances.

* In adversity, remain focused on the bigger picture until you achieve your goals.

“Everything is achievable if you make up your mind to do it,” Chisholm said.