Regional financial services institution, CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, has announced the appointment of Ms. Colette Delaney as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Delaney, whose appointment becomes effective on 1st November 2018, succeeds Gary Brown, who retires on 31st October.

Ms. Delaney is a banking professional of more than thirty years’ experience, having started her career with CIBC in 1987, and prior to that with National Westminster Bank plc. She holds a Master of Arts degree from St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, an MBA from Cass Business School in London, and received the designation of Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in the United Kingdom.

She first joined CIBC FirstCaribbean in 2013, and has served as the bank’s Chief Risk and Administrative Officer. Ms. Delaney was subsequently appointed Chief Operating Officer, and is a member of the board of CIBC FirstCaribbean.  

In her recent role, she has had responsibility for the performance of the bank’s functional regional business lines – Retail & Business Banking, Cards & Customer Relationship Management, Corporate & Investment Banking, and Wealth Management. She was also responsible for the bank’s Regional Country Management including local regulatory and client relationships and has led the Marketing & Communications and Strategy functions since May 2017.

In making the announcement, Chairman, David Ritch, said: “Colette brings a wealth of experience and strong leadership to the bank.  Given our strategic focus on client service excellence and growing our business, her appointment to the role of Chief Operating Officer prepared her for this new role by giving her oversight of client service matters across the various areas of our business lines, with the additional perspective of our country management teams who reported to her. She is certainly no stranger to the region, having interacted with our clients, employees, regulators and host governments over the past five years.”

Of her appointment, Ms. Delaney noted: “I am strongly committed to our values of trust, teamwork and accountability and to continuing to build an engaging environment where all employees are respected and recognized for their unique talents and perspectives.

“I’ve been working with our staff throughout the region and I am proud of the talent and professionalism they demonstrate every day. My task as CEO will be to continue to strengthen our focus on our clients and to foster our team’s sense of pride in the work we do each and every day”. 

Mr. Ritch also expressed the bank’s appreciation to retiring CEO, Gary Brown, who has led its operations across 17 countries since January 2016. He added: “Gary changed the trajectory of our bank in a number of important ways, not the least of which has been three years of growth in revenues at FCIB. He has steered the organization toward maintaining a focus on our clients at all times. Through his leadership we have improved client service and the day-to-day experience of our employees who serve them. We wish Gary a long and happy retirement with his family as they re-settle in the US.”

About CIBC FirstCaribbean
CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank is a relationship bank offering a full range of market-leading financial services through our Corporate and Investment Banking, Retail, Business & International Banking and Wealth Management segments. We are located in seventeen (17) countries around the Caribbean, providing the banking services that fit our customers’ lives through approximately 3000 employees, in 80 branches and offices.  We are one of the largest regionally-listed financial services institutions in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, with over US$11 billion in assets and market capitalization of US $1.8 billion.  We also have an office in Hong Kong. The face of banking is changing throughout the world and CIBC FirstCaribbean intends to lead these changes with the expertise, integrity and knowledge gained from banking in the Caribbean since 1836. CIBC FirstCaribbean is a member of the CIBC Group. CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 11 million personal banking and business clients. Through our three major business units - Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Capital Markets - CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world.