Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) Group President and Chief Executive Officer Courtney Campbell expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the company’s staff and customers for helping the company to chart its path of continued success over the last 141 years.

“With gratitude, we are grateful to our members and clients for loyalty, tremendous support, your confidence in us and for trusting us with your business. Whether it is with the building society, VM Wealth, VM Pensions Management, VM Money Transfer, VM Property Services, VM Finance UK, we know that you had other options and you chose to trust us with your business; thank you very much. Gratitude is a must,” Campbell was speaking at the company’s president’s anniversary cocktail party on Thursday (November 14) at the Chillin’ Restaurant in Hope Gardens, Kingston.

Campbell also commended the group’s team members and made special acknowledgement to Deputy Chairman of VM Group Matthew Wright, President’s Awardee Denneisha Blair — senior financial services specialist and Anika Crawford — digital transformation officer and Rookie of the Year award recipient, for their commitment to excellence and outstanding performance at VMBS.

“We think that 141 years is deserving of celebration and we’re looking forward to 141 more years. On behalf of the team I feel a great sense of fulfilment because we are executing well on our mission. We are putting more people in more homes than ever before, we’re helping more people to advance in their financial being and we’re empowering people through financial education,” Campbell asserted.

“We’re also filled with a great deal of optimism about what we will do as a team to help our members and clients and even bring more members and clients into the Victoria Mutual family and what we will do to help advance their financial well-being in the months and years ahead.”

Within the year, the VMBS Group had opened its New York office, a modern branch in Fairview, Montego Bay, three more Money Express centres in Montego Bay, Old Harbour and introduced a 100 per cent mortgage facility targeted to clients marginalised because of traditional mortgage requirements.

Campbell who has been the group’s president and CEO for three years indicated to the Jamaica Observer, that the new structural changes have allowed the company to introduce new products that serve its members in more relevant ways.

“We have changed the rules of the society and have embarked on a transformation programme that we think will be a significant boost for the company. We have an ambitious digital transformation strategy that has been agreed and is being pursued. Combined with the new rules and the restructuring that is underway will be beneficial to VMBS for decades to come,” Campbell told the Business Observer.

VM Investments Limited had also acquired 30 per cent stake in Carilend, a Barbados-based financial technologies (FinTech) company that is said to have revolutionised borrowing and lending in the Caribbean. Campbell further stated that clients can anticipate new delivery channels and new products such as a mobile banking app, credit cards and international debit cards in the near future.