AS a young man, Perrin Gayle did not have any specific goals in mind about how his future dreams and aspirations would unfold. He was happy being an active child, shooting birds, raising goats, and playing on his grandparents’ farm with his siblings and cousins in his home town of Southfield, St Elizabeth.

The former Munro College standout student loved cars, and being technically inclined he wanted to learn the rudiments of electronics, and perhaps from there, develop a career from this passion.

However, his parents were not pleased with his decision and insisted that he should attend university.

“I wanted to take a year off after graduating from high school to learn a trade, but this was not to be. I was encouraged to have a first degree and because of my love for electronics, I started a degree in computer science and electronics,” Gayle said.

However, after starting his tertiary studies at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Gayle, who was also very good with numbers, switched his course of study to economics, with a minor in statistics after his first year was completed.

Gayle, who has always been a sound clash fan, also wanted to try his hands at being a disc jockey while in university. “This interest started while I lived on Chancellor Hall with two other friends, and eventually I formed a sound system called Impulse — which did very well. We played all over Jamaica, and I decided that this is what I wanted to do after I graduated,” he said.

However, in 2006, after graduation and much self-introspection and evaluation, he realised that operating a successful sound system business long-term would be challenging.

“I got up one day and decided that I wanted a full-time job and to follow a traditional path. Armed with my degree in economics, I applied to all the investment companies in Jamaica, but I didn’t receive any responses. Eventually, through networking, I was able to secure an interview at Victoria Mutual Wealth Management and was offered a position as a client relationship officer. I am very thankful to the persons who were instrumental in me obtaining my first job.”

He realised that if he wanted to be able to make and implement changes and eventually become a leader of an organisation, he had to pursue an advanced education.

In 2008, he relocated to Arizona in the United States and attended Arizona State University, where he completed his MBA specialising in financial management and markets.

While in the United States, he worked as a land acquisition analyst intern in Arizona and also assisted with the start up of a private equity real estate opportunity fund for high net-worth Caribbean clients in New York.

After this, Gayle saw an opportunity to return to Jamaica and did so in 2012. “It was always in the pipeline for me to return to Jamaica at some point and when I did, I joined Scotiabank in their Caribbean Associate Development Programme.”

His expectations to stay in Jamaica were short-lived, because while participating in the two-year rotational leadership development programme, he was sent, in 2013, on a six-month rotation to work at the company’s headquarters in Canada.

While in Canada, he worked in international corporate and commercial banking and provided transactional guidance to commercial banking units throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as in global risk management, which adjudicates on loan applications and other correspondence received from banking units in the Caribbean and Asia.

Having demonstrated a stellar performance in Canada, the opportunity then came for him to act as assistant general manager for corporate and commercial banking in the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

“This position should have only been for one year; however, I remained in Trinidad and served in three different roles over a period of almost five years. This move was significant, because I was offered a very senior role as the assistant general manager, while I was in an entry level management position.”

Gayle attributes his swift climb up the proverbial corporate ladder to his willingness to step outside of his comfort zone and a high level of commitment that propelled him forward.

“They say the reward for good work is more work, and this is true,” Gayle said. He also credits the over 130-year-old bank’s strong people development culture and nurturing environment.

“Scotiabank is an organisation that values hard work, and once you work hard there are many opportunities available to you to advance your career. You just have to put yourself in the position to take advantage of them through continuous personal development.”

After his time in Trinidad and Tobago, he returned to Jamaica as lead for Scotiabank’s corporate and commercial banking segment, which saw him successfully growing the portfolio by double digits each year until January 2021 when he switched roles becoming senior vice-president of retail banking.

Under his current remit, Gayle now has responsibility for all of Scotiabank’s branches and leads the strategic direction and oversight for retail and small business banking, as well as external sales channels across the bank. A large component of this is the bank’s digital transformation — an area he is particularly passionate about.

“There is so much that can be leveraged and achieved nationally with technology. We have the power and the opportunity to transform the way we go about doing business in Jamaica. Our vision is to leverage digital banking as a catalyst and a starting point for as many Jamaicans as possible to get on board the digital highway. By mastering banking online, we believe they will be prepared for the expected digital transformation already underway locally,” he mused.

Despite his heavy work responsibilities, Gayle is achieving balance and finding joy in his newest professional challenge.

Married with two sons, he prioritises spending time with his family and being a dedicated fitness enthusiast, though falling off the fitness wagon from time to time.

“It is important for me to put my kids to bed every night and ensure I spend time with them every evening, because I don’t want to miss out on their childhood while I am busy working. You have to manage your time effectively and efficiently during the day, and then you will be able to do all the other things you want to do,” he said.

“I was not a morning person, but now I get up every morning at 4:00 am. I start my day early beginning with exercise, to ensure that I get a head start on all the things I want to accomplish,” he added.