On Friday, October 27, a Jamaican woman, Minna Israel, received the distinguished award of “Woman Making a Difference” at the IWF – International Women’s Forum Gala in Houston, Texas, USA.

Currently Special Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor on Resource Development, The University of the West Indies, with a focus on philanthropy, Minna Israel is a distinguished professional with a corporate career spanning more than 30 years.

She has held several outstanding roles including being appointed the first female head of Scotiabank International in 2005, with other past positions such as Managing Director of Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited, and Executive Vice-President and Deputy CEO of The Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited. Israel was also President & Country Head of RBC Royal Bank Jamaica for four years, and is a distinguished Business Fellow at The University of the West Indies, Mona School of Business & Management (MSBM).

Israel is currently a member of several local boards, including First Global Bank Jamaica Ltd, Cari-Med Ltd and subsidiary Kirk Distributors Ltd, and the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd, to name a few. She is also past president of the Jamaica Bankers’ Association, having served for the period 2009 to 2011.

The International Women’s Forum (IWF) is a by-invitation-only organisation, comprised of women leaders from diverse fields of endeavour and from more than 34 nations around the world. The Jamaica chapter is comprised of 32 women leaders in their respective fields. “Each year at the October conference, we recognise and nominate women of significant achievement for the ‘Women Making a Difference Award’, and this year Minna was selected,” explained Camille Facey, president of the Jamaica Chapter.

Israel shared the stage with eight other awardees, as well as Hillary Clinton, who was the 2017 Hall of Fame Honoree at the event.

“Minna is a self-made woman who has fractured the proverbial glass ceiling and has been opening the doors for aspiring women. She is well known across the Caribbean and the Jamaican Diaspora for her contribution to the financial sector; particularly mentionable is the fact that she was the first female head of Scotiabank,” Facey continued.

Not only is she an accomplished woman, but Israel is also described by her compatriots as one who cares deeply for others. “Minna is someone you can look up to, who mentors young people and is there for others,” said Alyson Peart, Country Managing Partner and Tax Partner at Ernst & Young, Jamaica, and current IWF member.

Israel holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the Western University, Ontario, Canada; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Studies from The University of the West Indies; and a Diploma in Business Administration specialising in Banking from the University of Technology.