ASK anyone who’s met her, she’s the woman who always wears a smile — a practice she started as a child to mask the reality of her struggles. Now, Meesha Lewin wears a smile to make someone else’s day brighter, especially during banking hours.

“I have learnt that offering a smile to someone, irrespective of how they appear, can really make a difference to them because, who knows? They might be hiding their struggles like I used to do,” Lewin said.

Her inviting personality shines through as she interacts with colleagues and clients daily. Lewin is a top-performing business development officer at First Global Bank’s (FGB) Liguanea branch — a high-demand and visible location in the GraceKennedy Financial Group.

She is responsible for growing the credit card portfolio and driving the branch’s sales. Her duties also include building and maintaining relationships with clients. In August 2024 Lewin surpassed annual goals, achieving 159 per cent of her target in credit card sales, with months to spare, the highest across all FGB branches for the period.

But her signature smile is but one ingredient in her secret sauce of success.

A former waitress, sales representative, business owner, administrator and customer solutions advisor, Lewin shared that she often pulls on the experiences and lessons learnt throughout her career to connect with her clients.

“My previous roles have taught me the art of needs-based selling, to be constantly curious in the industry, the importance of getting to know my customers, the importance of soft-skills, the reminder that I must be self-motivated, and most importantly to be patient with self,” she said.

“A credit card is not just a product or a target, it is a need for a client. By teaching my clients the proper way of using a credit card I have noticed an exceptional increase in referrals to me from those clients.”

Mixed in with her patented smile and professional experience is the relatable application of her knowledge that she passes on to clients. She explained that she ensures that at the end of each encounter, if nothing else, her customers have gained enough product knowledge to be comfortable with planning and determining their next steps. To her, it is more than just selling.

Teaching her clients some element of financial literacy is key as she seeks to empower them.

“Working at the Liguanea branch has become my true immersion into the world of banking. There are many different demands and personalities that come into the bank daily, but I stay tunnel-visioned on my goals. When I do that, it reminds me that that is the reason why these clients are here as well. They have a need and a goal, and I am here to assist with that,” she reasoned.

With this drive for educating and assisting persons to accomplish their financial goals, the hard-working, Christian woman is also motivated to pursue excellence because of her family. And though she did not have the easiest or most comfortable upbringing, she is grateful for her parents’ efforts to provide for her and her four siblings with limited resources.

“My family is everything,” she said.

But it was a chance encounter with a teacher at McGrath High School on orientation day that shifted Lewin’s life trajectory. She shared that though she was born and raised in the garden parish of St Ann, her placement at the rural St Catherine school and later relocation to the parish opened her eyes to the many opportunities available for her future.

“The first day of orientation, I met a teacher that was drawn to me and pretty much begged my mother to allow me to stay with her and her family to go to school. My mother eventually agreed after a while and from there I was exposed to a different culture and mindset. I started to realise there were other opportunities available to me. I started wanting more for me and my family,” she shared.

She eventually matriculated to the University of Technology, Jamaica to read for her Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship — becoming the first in her family for generations to attain higher education — and soon adopted the mantra: “I can be the change instead of waiting for the change”.

“This meant so much to me and I just wanted to continue being a good example for my siblings. I wanted them to realise that we can break the chain that was set before us. This is still my driving force to this day. I am being the change for my family,” she beamed.

With that constant reminder Lewin is driven to succeed, stating that her goals are not just for her but her family too. Ultimately, her hard work is to inspire her siblings and be remembered as a good role model who never gives up.

With a recent and earnest goal accomplished, becoming a homeowner, Lewin has done another first in her immediate family, showing them that with enough financial guidance, determination and literacy, anything is possible.

Her advice to others: “…find what makes you happy so that when the hard times come or when you become overwhelmed, you have something to put your mind at ease enough to function and continue with your work”.