NATIONAL Commercial Bank (NCB) Group of Companies recently celebrated 271 of its employees who have served the institution for a combined total of more than 4,500 years at its annual Long Service Awards function.

The awardees, having served between 10 and 40 years, included employees from NCB, NCB Capital Markets Limited, NCB Insurance Company Limited, Advantage General Insurance Company Limited and NCB Global Finance Limited, the group’s newest subsidiary, based in Trinidad and Tobago.

NCB chairman Michael Lee Chin and the institution’s senior managers credited the bank’s success in part to employee loyalty and tenure.

“NCB owes its success to you and this evening we salute you,” Lee-Chin said. “You have consistently proven that you can be relied on, despite the challenges in the environment or the tasks at hand.”

Head of the group’s Human Resources Division Rickert Allen added that “while some degree of turnover is necessary for the healthy growth of an organisation, employee loyalty and tenure contribute to organisation stability and promote customer confidence”.

He said professional development and career advancement were equally important to the general success of an organisation. In that vein, he pointed out that NCB’s Corporate Learning Campus, which has 237 courses available via its eCampus platform and four programmes accredited by the University Council of Jamaica, continues to be instrumental in staff training.

The NCB group is the largest financial group in Jamaica with sights set on being among the top five financial institutions in the English- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean by 2016. To that end Group Managing Director Patrick Hylton said continuous evolution and transformation are necessary.

“This will be critical to our success as we continue to position ourselves to be named among the top five financial institutions in the region. With the right mindset, we will not be crippled by the challenges that may arise, but rather will take hold of and maximise the opportunities to further advance our strategies,” he said.

“Thank you for your continued renewed commitment over time,” Hylton continued.

Responding on behalf of the awardees, employee of 30 years Bridgitte Walker pledged to continue assisting the bank achieve its strategic objectives.

“NCB has grown to be the largest bank in Jamaica and excellence is truly a collaborative effort [so] we all have a vital role to play. I am proud to be recognising this milestone in my career and, along with my fellow awardees, commit that we will continue to diligently focus on the execution of the company’s strategic objectives so that NCB will continue to allow all its stakeholders to put their best life forward,” she said, referencing the organisation’s marketing slogan.

“We are proud that we have such capable and dedicated staff members as part of our team,” said Lee Chin.