CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Limited will have a new head come November 1, 2022.

The regional bank’s board has announced the appointment of Mark St Hill as the next chief executive officer (CEO) to succeed Collete Delaney, who prepares for retirement. The appointment is, however, subject to regulatory approval.

The Barbados native’s appointment and confirmation to the role of CEO will make him the first Caribbean national to hold such a position. In addition, he is now the fourth-consecutive appointment from the region to an executive role.

According to CIBC FirstCaribbean’s board Chairman David Ritch, “Mark brings to the post 32 years of practical and technical experience in banking having worked his way through the bank from the post of ‘teller’. Most recently he has driven the execution of our bank’s digitalisation strategy. He is perfectly positioned to lead the bank at this time of transformation within the financial services industry. Like his predecessor, Colette Delaney, he is an expert in one of the key pillars of our strategy — developing relationships, whether it be with our clients, our employees, or our suppliers.”

St Hill has served the bank in various positions spanning insurance brokerage, retail banking, corporate banking, credit risk, international banking, and wealth management. He has also held senior management positions in several countries in the Caribbean such as Grenada, British Virgin Islands and Barbados. In addition, he serves as chairman of the boards of the Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago operating companies and is a trustee of the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation, the bank’s charitable foundation.

A fellow of the British Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and a graduate of the FirstCaribbean Executive Leadership Program with Wharton Business School, St Hill recently completed the Masters Certificate Program in Financial Services Leadership in conjunction with Schulich School of Business and CIBC. He is also the president of the Barbados Hockey Federation.

Mark is married and is the proud father of three children.

St Hill’s predecessor has served in the position for the last four years, having assumed the role on November 1, 2018. Delaney joined CIBC FirstCaribbean in 2013, and amongst other roles has served as the bank’s chief risk and administrative officer. She is a member of the board of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank and served as chair of the bank’s charitable organisation, FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation.

“Colette’s appointment as chief executive officer, the first woman to be appointed to the role, was a landmark in the bank’s history. She brought to her tenure as CEO the steady hand that the bank needed during the past two years as we struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our region. Her ability to reassure both employees and clients of the bank’s stability and support helped to assuage the concerns of our various stakeholders during a testing period,” CIBC FirstCaribbean said.