Leading financial services provider Leno announced today it has strengthened its board of directors in a strategic move toward growing its portfolio, adding the chairs of both the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce & Employers Confederation and the Small Business Development Centre.

News of the appointments came from Leno Chairman Montgomery Braithwaite, CA.

“We are very pleased to report that Khrystle Rutherford Ferguson, Chairperson of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce & Employers’ Confederation, and Geoff Andrews, Chairman of the Small Business Development Centre, have joined the board of Leno,” said Mr. Braithwaite.

“Geoff and Khrystle bring solid business backgrounds. Each has a wide range of experience in their specific professions, Khrystle in financial services, and Geoff in accounting, audit and advisory services. Beyond that, both are outstanding Bahamians who have consistently demonstrated leadership skills, unwavering ethical standards and a strong commitment to community. Those are traits essential to our corporate culture, our growth and our ability to serve the clients and community to which we are committed.”

For the relatively young financial services firm that recently celebrated its first decade, the addition of two of the top voices and faces in the business world is part of a broader team-building exercise.

“The fact that both Khrystle and Geoff recognized what Leno stands for and want to help steer our growth moving forward speaks volumes for what we hope the wider community knows is the Leno difference,” said Mr. Braithwaite.

In 2020, when schools closed and all students were expected to attend class virtually, Leno led the national effort to put a device in the hands of every student who needed one, kicking off the campaign with a $60,000 donation and pursuing it relentlessly until the goal was reached.

According to Geoff Andrews, it was the Leno spirit that first attracted him.

“It’s an exciting innovative company and I am looking forward to serving as a director,” he said.

Mr. Andrews joined Deloitte in 1986 after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Davidson College and a Master’s in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. He served as audit partner of the firm for nearly two decades until his departure in 2016 to pursue other interests, including directorships and doing consulting in financial services, energy and retail industries for local and international clients. A Chartered Accountant licensed to practice in The Bahamas and the state of Georgia, Mr. Andrews is a past president of the country’s largest Rotary club, Rotary Club of East Nassau, chairman of the Bahamas Rate Reduction Bond Limited, a director of St. Andrew’s School and a director of the Baha Mar Foundation.

In 2018, Mr. Andrews was named chairman of the Small Business Development Centre, a public-private tripartite entity created to provide mentorship and funding to start-up, micro and small businesses in The Bahamas. In 2019, he added the title of president of the Bahamas National Trust to his numerous service-oriented responsibilities. He is a recipient of the Paul Harris Award, given to those who exhibit extraordinary generosity of time and talent to making their communities a better place.

An attorney at law, Mrs. Ferguson heads the legal department at Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Ltd. Elected in 2019 as chair of the country’s most listened to voice of business, she continues to hold numerous positions contributing to national policy-making, including seats on the Economic Recovery Committee and National Coordinating Committee on Covid-19. She has also been invited to serve on the working committee of the Freedom of Information Office and on the Governor General’s Volunteer Bahamas Advisory Council. Mrs. Rutherford Ferguson was Treasurer of the Bahamas Bar Association from 2017-2019. She was also appointed to the board of the National Statistical Institute and helped spearhead research on revenue generation for proposed local government for New Providence.

Mrs. Rutherford Ferguson began her tertiary education at the then College of The Bahamas before going on to study in the U.K. where she earned an LLB with Honours at the University of Buckingham, England, and completed the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law, London. She was admitted to both The Bahamas Bar and the Bar of England and Wales.

Both appointments are effective immediately.