DENISE Subaran found her voice at JN Group. Entering the organisation as a reserved personality, the bank teller-turned-strategy and planning officer discovered a stronger woman lived just beneath the surface.

“I came in as a very shy person, and rarely opened my mouth,” Subaran recounted of her teller beginnings with the Jamaica National Group at the JN Bank Montego Bay office.

Nurturing meaningful work relationships at the 2 Market Street branch office, she has felt the power of evolution within.

“Through the people I have been fortunate to be around, it allowed me to realise I had a voice. That voice became active,” she reflected.

Today, the once-reserved Subaran has blossomed in confidence, earning a series of promotions across her 15-year JN tenure and occupying a seat at the company’s table in strategic decision-making. Her voice, too, naturally matters.

Working as an officer in the strategy management office, she detailed the parameters of her duties.

“My role is to guide the strategic planning process of the subsidiaries of the JN Group, and that covers the financial group, which has our financial companies, as well as the non-financial group that also falls under our umbrella,” the ascendant employee noted of being answerable to her immediate boss, Sheree Lee.

Altogether, Subaran has eyes fixed on monitoring eight separate companies. Under her immediate work portfolio are JN Bank, JN Cayman, remittance company JN Money, JN Life Insurance, the Jamaica Automobile Association, MC Systems (technology and innovation), JN Properties, and Total Credit Services.

“We develop and manage the strategy planning process and monitor the performance of each company against their strategic plans and budget on a monthly basis. A part of my responsibility now is also assisting with corporate reporting,” Subaran said.

Her role involves analysing the external and internal environments and deducing factors that impact each company and the organisation as a whole.

“We assist in the development and review of the strategic plans of each company to ensure there is alignment,” Subaran explained.

“We facilitate companies’ retreats, and are also charged in planning and coordinating board retreats at the group level, wherein the strategic plans are reviewed and discussed by directors and key stakeholders.”

Further down the line, her task list has her crunching numbers on the strategic, operational, and financial performance of the various companies under review.

“We then monitor on a month-to-month basis, so after the plans are approved we go into the monitoring phase to track the performance of each company against their strategic and financial targets.”

Where she was once reserved but is now emboldened, Subaran points to in-house mentorship from two key figures in her work life, Shernette Callam and Howard Lawrence, in guiding her personal and professional development.

Callam, head of branch operations and customer experience at JN Bank, was a persistent source of encouragement, pushing Subaran to work relentlessly towards her dreams and move beyond the member service representative position.

“In terms of shifting my mindset out of moving geographically [from Montego Bay to work in Kingston] and thinking outside the box for professional development, Miss Callam pushed me to go and soar, and that is something I took with me in trying to further develop myself and add value to the organisation,” Subaran said.

To this end, at Callam’s (who was her manager at the Mobay branch) insistence, Subaran moved permanently and started working in the Sales Support Unit of JN Bank. Having already read for an actuarial science degree at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona, Subaran also went on to secure a master’s degree with a concentration in banking and finance at Bangor University in Wales.

“The next shift for me was from a leadership standpoint when I started to report to Howard Lawrence [JN Bank’s chief of credit operations] in 2020 when the company put in place a COVID restructuring team,” she recalled. “He was someone I used to look up to, and when I began working with him directly he started to talk to me about my leadership potential. His belief in me propelled me to add even more value to the organisation and become a leader.”

Reared in Paul Island in the outskirts of Grange Hill by now-retired cane farmer Wilfred Subaran, and store manager Janice Bacchas, Denise, the eldest, and brothers Michael and Stephen, attended Grange Hill Primary. She would later attend The Manning’s School.

As to her fateful decision to select a finance-leaning degree, she recalled: “When I was trying to figure out what I was going to be doing, one of the things I asked myself at Manning’s was ‘What do I love?’ and I was good at maths and grew to love it, thanks to my second-form teacher Mr Pryce.”

Post-The UWI, she began working at JN in the second city, commuting daily from neighbouring Westmoreland. “The Montego Bay branch is the foundation for who I am today,” she declared, recalling how the branch’s security guard, Mr McFarlane, would refer to her as, “first one in, last one out”.

After five years as a teller and member service representative, Subaran moved to Kingston to work as a mortgage analyst. Subsequent roles saw her return to Mobay as a branch sales representative, then back to the capital in sales support and credit roles, before eventually becoming a strategy and planner officer.

The 36-year-old is immensely grateful for it all.

Being a team player means showing up for her JN family, demonstrated through chairing the JN Sports and Social Club, serving as president of the JN Circle chapter in Westmoreland, sitting on The Jamaica National Group board as staff director, and serving as a ONE JN culture ambassador.

“One of the reasons I remain committed to JN is that I believe in the purpose of what our founding fathers started: to help the ordinary Jamaican find a way to fulfil their aspirations,” said Subaran, a devout Christian who worshipped at Paul Island United in her formative years, and Hope United in Kingston more recently.

“From JN’s founders to our Chief Executive Officer, Earl Jarrett, the dedication he pours out, I see the alignment of JN Group’s mission and vision to my purpose, and I am constantly inspired to make the necessary commitments and sacrifices to serve our people,” she added.

Off the clock, Subaran relishes spending time with loved ones abroad as much as a beach day in Negril.

“My family is very important to me, so wherever they are in the world, whenever I get my vacation, I am going to be there with them.”

This means frequent flyer miles to the United States and Canada each year.

“I love water, so I enjoy being at the beach and watching beautiful sunsets,” she said.

Then there is pickleball, a passion she developed while living in Kingston years earlier, playing on the court as a registered member of Express Fitness Gym at Constant Spring Golf Club.

“I can’t find anyone in Westmoreland to play with, so when I travel overseas, that’s when I get to play with my cousins,” a bemused Subaran shared.

As to what’s next, she offers: “It’s the personal mixed with the professional. I know as I improve in my life, more responsibilities will come, but I am committed to ensuring that JN becomes successful as we focus on fulfilling our mission and vision to our members, customers and prospective clients.”

DENISE SUBARAN’S TAKE ON…

•What’s important when college grads go job-hunting in the finance industry?

“Have an expectation that you may not get into the role you so desire at first. That’s not a bad thing. It may feel disappointing, as though you are undervalued because of your degree, but know that every step is a step to get where you need to be. Appreciate and learn all you can, because it will help you wherever you end up.”

•Finding a mentor:

“If you see somebody, whether at work or in your personal life, whose leadership attributes you admire, go directly to them. Ask for their leadership or professional guidance. For those who may not be able to access a physical mentor, there are virtual mentors right across the world, accessible through books and videos. John Maxwell has been a mentor for me through his leadership books and podcasts.”

•How to make an impression at an interview:

“While you may be interacting with professionals in your interview who are more mature in the industry, be confident in who you are and what you bring. Also, be very knowledgeable about the company you’re looking to be part of, in preparation for questions.”

JN Group’s Strategy and Planning Officer Denise Subaran.