After near 13 years at the helm of the National Export-Import Bank (EXIM), seasoned banker and Managing Director Lisa Bell will step down from duties at the end of April.

Bell, who has led the institution since 2010, previously served at the State’s investment and export promotions agency, Jampro, as vice-president. Under her leadership EXIM’s loan portfolio is said to have expanded significantly to offer more financing solutions to members of the productive and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) sectors.

Commenting on the upcoming departure timed for April 30, 2023, Bell, though tight-lipped about the reason for her leaving or if it was in any way coerced, told the Jamaica Observer that while there was “no comment” to that, she was happy for the time she was able to serve the institution.

“I am demitting office to pursue new opportunities where I can make a contribution. I have enjoyed my time at EXIM and I am proud of what we’ve accomplished in servicing over 3,000 Jamaican companies. Export remains an important part of the country’s economic agenda and EXIM continue to play a critical role in improving access to finance particularly for SMEs,” she said during an interview with the Business Observer on Tuesday after a news release from the company’s directors on her demitting office was shared with the media.

“It is my hope that the organisation will continue to build on its successes and I feel privileged to have been part of the journey,” she continued, noting successes such as spearheading a record $9.5 billion in utilisation of funds in 2017, becoming ISO 9001:2015 certified in 2020 and copping a number of prestigious awards for excellence in corporate governance among her proudest achievements.

Bell said that while there has been much talk and speculation concerning a proposed merger between the EXIM and Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) which may be blamed for her departure, it had nothing to do with her decision to step aside.

“The merger is still very preliminary, not much has been done since its announcement. From that time we have also not gotten much farther in getting the details or even determining when or if it’s going to happen,” she said.

The proposed merger, which has been questioned by a number of stakeholders, has been touted a bad move, if it was to be done, especially against the belief that both organisations were established to offer different services to MSMEs.

While both are categorised as development banks, EXIM, the older of the two, was established in 1986 and operates more as a direct lending agency offering a wide range of financing instruments at competitive interest rates to the country’s productive sector. The DBJ, which was established in 2000, on the other hand, provides funding and technical assistance to MSMEs through its network of approved financial institutions (AFIs).

Investment Minister Aubyn Hill in a recent update has, however. said that an official decision was not yet made concerning the proposed merger of the two entities. He, however, indicated that currently assessments were being undertaken by the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU) to determine if a merger of the entities would be worthwhile.

Now looking to embark on her next step towards the future, Bell said she was now in search of brand new opportunities that would allow her to utilise her skill sets in the financial arena and in an impactful way.

“I’ve had some opportunities presented and I’m now trying to choose what is to come next,” she said.

The board of management, in thanking her for her contribution to the growth and development of EXIM Bank, in the release said it wish her every success in her future undertakings.