BY KIMBERLEY HIBBERT

Career & Education reporter

hibbertk@jamaicaobserver.com

STEWART B Johnson advises that our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves; to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterdays by our today, to do our work with more force than

ever before. Career and Education sat down with four women from Sagicor who seemingly have undertaken this pearl of wisdom as their mantra and have been climbing the ladder of success in the corporate world.

JANICE GRANT-TAFFE

Vice-President – Legal, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary

Having worked with what she describes as a number of iconic leaders, each with different management styles, attorney-at-law Janice Grant Taffe said she left the public sector in pursuit of a career at the private bar. She joined Sagicor some 24 years ago when it then was Life of Jamaica, which was quite a different financial services landscape.

“I am still learning. When I joined Sagicor the industry was very robust with competition from traditional insurance companies…and was very involved in the legislative reform of the industry both pre- and post- the upheaval in the financial sector. My challenges were few. I had to hit the ground running and remember that you are only as good as your last act. You always have to renew yourself and be prepared to take on any challenge. There is a lesson to be learnt from every experience especially the bad ones,” she said.

With experience in the insurance industry specialising in the areas of insurance, commercial, property, and company law, Grant-Taffe said finding a balance is key.

“Law as a discipline lends itself to a wide area of practice, especially as a commercial practitioner. You have to balance the role of counsel with that of business. That is what gives you job satisfaction,” she said.

The lover of orchids boasts of being a former dancer, told Career and Education that she has adapted her own

style of management with an open-door policy and vivacious enthusiasm, which she brings to the hectic

work environment.

“I’m a high producer, in

that I create an environment for conflict resolution and

I’m approachable, which I attribute to my personality,” Grant-Taffe said.

KAREN RICHARDS

Regional Manager – Client Services, KMA

Growing up in the hills of Lime Tree Gardens, St Ann, Karen Richards knew from early that education was a priority. She recalled her grandmother’s prompting to focus on studies and top it off with proper social graces and attributes.

“These strong values and the respect that the community in general had for my family helped to prepare me for who I am today. All of my grandmother’s sisters were educators and nurses, with strong involvement in their churches and participation in the community in a civic way, and assisting the needy. And, as a child, I heard lots of stories about their successes, which have made me very proud of my family’s history and the contributions they have made to many persons who, in their own way, are nation-builders today,” Richards said.

After leaving university, she took up her first job with Manufacturers Credit Services, which was a subsidiary of Manufacturers Merchant Bank Limited.

“I learnt quickly, and two years later was invited to work with a boutique bank called Knutsford Capital Merchant Bank Limited.

This is where I got my real start in managing clients’ investments and really learnt about investment banking, where I got exposed to investment products like bonds, stocks, foreign exchange, and securities trading. It was a small institution which remained profitable throughout the Finsac crisis and was later acquired by First Life Insurance Company,” recalled Richards.

She added that her background in economics and management allowed her to better understand the financial markets and developed her ability to communicate and explain the issues for clients so that they could make their decisions in a timely manner.

“I developed a real love

for managing clients’ investments and I realised that I had found my purpose, as I was able to grow my portfolio and I had discovered from early on that I was adept at explaining complex matters in a fairly simple way to my clients, which helped me to do well, she said.

Richards said experience has taught her to let her work speak for itself and it will create and build value on your behalf for the company.

“I grew up through most of the companies that are now a part of Sagicor Investments via either mergers or acquisitions including Sigma Investments, Manufacturers Sigma Investments Limited, and Pan Caribbean Financial Services, which was later rebranded to Sagicor Investments Limited.”

“It is not always easy, as my job is demanding,” Richards told Career and Education, “however, I have a strong network that supports me and I give credit to friends family and my team who have all been very understanding and supportive.”

“I always say that my team is like the Barcelona Football Club, where I have superstars and my task is to get everyone to work together to deliver the results so I am like the former coach, Pep Guardiola,” she said.

BRENDA-LEE MARTIN

Vice-President – Asset Management

It was in the latter part of high school Brenda-Lee Martin recalls discovering a love for math-based disciplines. This has now reaped many rewards for her in life and she uses it as a form of solace.

“I understand how the job that I do of assisting persons with wealth creation and financial planning translates to peace, security and comfort for persons and families,” she said.

Martin said her climb up the corporate ladder was not simple and required much dedication.

“I entered Sagicor when it was Life of Jamaica with a first degree as a life insurance underwriter, where my job was to primarily do medical, financial and lifestyle assessments of persons who applied for life insurance. While there, I pursued my MBA specialising in finance, and so I was able to make the transition to the Investments Division.”

Her secret is to value both her personal and professional life, while ensuring she upholds her standards.

“At every step I have been fortunate to associate with persons with a common purpose, and I have received tremendous support from those around me. I have colleagues who have become lifetime friends,” she said.

“I give my best to my work, which I do not find is necessarily gender-driven. I do possess a very calm demeanour and conciliatory approach when dealing with persons. However, I do not yield on matters of principle,” she said

TARA NUNES

Vice-President – Wealth Management and Client Services

“I spend the majority of my day focused at work leading a team and working to deliver on results expected. However, I also have a full-time job of running a household and raising children which requires a great deal of focus and attention as well…I have two wonderful daughters, ages 20 and 17, and though their needs have changed from when they were babies and young children, they still require the same level of attention and support,” said Tara Nunes.

Born and raised in Kingston, she attended Campion College and then read for a degree in economics and management at the University of the West Indies. Her first job was with Jamaica Broilers Group Limited as a financial analyst in the head office. It was there that the foundation was laid for her success.

“This was a great start to my journey. I worked with a great team of persons and leaders such as Robert Levy and Philip Levy,” she said.

After much work and growth, Nunes decided to advance her career and joined the Manufacturers Merchant Bank in 2000 as the manager of private banking. Since then financial services industry has been her world.

She explained that being in corporate Jamaica has been a whirlwind, but she has managed to remain steadfast in her corporate climb.

“Working in the financial services industry is fast-paced, high-stressed and filled with constant change, especially in the Jamaican landscape. There is never a dull moment. The challenges have been many, working through the period of the alternate investment schemes and the impact this had on the industry, JDX [Jamaica Debt Exchange] and NDX [National Debt Exchange], and the global recession in 2008 have all been trying times. When you manage other people’s money it is an awesome responsibility and you have to ensure you are giving them the best advice to protect their investments and achieve their goals,” she said.

Added Nunes: “I have also been through several mergers and acquisitions over the years, starting with Sigma, then Pan Caribbean, the change to Sagicor and most recently the acquisition of RBC, which have all come with a lot of challenges, but also a great deal of success. Bringing different teams, cultures and systems together, while ensuring your customers remain happy, is no easy task, it takes a lot of hard work and commitment but I think the key to success is to embrace change as it happens and always focus on the opportunities, because there are many.”

Nunes explained that balance is also key to being successful in the corporate world as women have to play many different roles and juggle many different responsibilities.

Nunes added that the key is to be very organised and have good time-management skills. “You also have to have a good support network around you, and I have been very fortunate to have family and a team that will step in at a moment’s notice to help… You are only as good as the team you have working with you.”

Away from the desk, Nunes says: “It is important to give back to society, and so I have served on the executive committee of the Women’s Leadership Initiative for the past eight years. Being a member of this formidable group of accomplished women has been very rewarding, as we have worked to improve the lives of children in the society and shed light and build awareness on the issue of child sexual abuse in the country.”