Group chief digital officer at VM Group, Sheena Wedderburn-Reid, started her journey as group information security manager in 2016, where she was responsible for the IT security programmes. However, in 2018 she assumed the role of assistant vice-president of digital transformation in the company’s strategic response to the global shift in customer expectations “in how digital experiences were delivered and the organisation’s vision of becoming a digital leader, modern and relevant.”

The VM team launched an organisation-wide digital transformation strategy to drive transformation with the roll-out of innovative digitalisation projects focused on customers and clients and their internal operations.

As Wedderburn-Reid recounts, the group aimed to build digital capabilities and an enhanced customer experience. Their internal focus was on developing the critical digital capacities of their team, optimising processes and fostering a culture to ultimately steer the VM Group towards becoming a digital-driven organisation.

The novel coronavirus pandemic further accelerated the pace of their transformation initiatives, culminating in Wedderburn-Reid’s promotion to serve as group chief digital officer, an exciting but challenging move in her career trajectory. She has oversight and is accountable for the governance, monitoring, risk mitigation and value management associated with executing the organisation-wide digital transformation programme.

Operationally, she works collaboratively with cross-functional teams on measures to ensure a superior experience for the members and clients of the group at each digital touchpoint. In addition to the clients’ experience, she focuses heavily on gaining insights into the utlisation rates of the digital channels to inform the decision-making process for the group’s digital adoption strategy. She conducts regular check-ins with the managers of the various digital channels to understand current pain points. She provides support to deliver better customer experiences to serve the organisation’s vision of being a leading Caribbean-based, member-focused organisation transforming lives by advancing the financial well-being of individuals globally.

Wedderburn-Reid also collaborates with and monitors the progress of strategic business units and support teams such as critical cross-functional players to ensure they are well supported and resourced to execute the initiatives across the group. As a vital leader of the group’s Digital Transformation Unit, she works extensively with the teams responsible for data analytics, digital innovation and agile transformation to drive the digital transformation culture required for success.

VM Group launched several digital solutions to meet customer expectations amid the pandemic. They upgraded their online banking platform and introduced VM Express mobile banking app to offer automated branch services. Additionally, the company launched VM e-loan, powered by Carilend, an end-to-end online loan application solution that allows customers to access unsecured loan products conveniently. Pensioners could also view their information via an Approved Retirement Scheme (ARS) dashboard to access accounts online. VM Money Transfer Services (VMTS) also partnered with Xoom for transferring and depositing directly into members’ accounts. VM Wealth clients also benefitted from an online management platform to view their investment portfolios with the flexibility of self-service. VM Building Society released an online solution for the pre-approval of mortgages.

Internally, Wedderburn-Reid noted that the organisation introduced a hybrid and remote work policy before the pandemic. VM also invested in an enterprise-wide collaboration platform allowing teams to develop forms, conduct surveys, and tackle minor application challenges, reducing reliance on the core IT team. She believes that such collaboration, coupled with the recently implemented work policy, allowed the group to maintain productivity levels, deliver quality service, and pivot quickly during the pandemic.

As a digital transformation advocate, Wedderburn-Reid is convinced that “a digital society is adept at the adoption and integration of information and technology in all aspects of everyday life”. She believes that success lies in leveraging the solutions to achieve greater efficiency, accessibility and inclusion while engaging the society to increase technological adoption.

Wedderburn-Reid looks forward to continuing on her path of effectively solving problems by deploying technology to improve society’s standard of living.