Raising the Bar

WHO:
Jerome Sooklal

POSITION:
RBTT Group Chief Executive Officer.
He officially became a member of the RBTT Group on September 1, when he assumed the responsibilities and duties of the Group CEO.
He was formally welcomed to the RBTT family at a function last Thursday at the Hilton Trinidad last week.

THINKING BIG:
Sooklal acknowledged that he has been given a great task and promised to put RBTT on the international stage.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Sooklal holds an MBA from Columbia University School of Business. Also,  a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University.

A MAN OF MANY STRIPES:
He has worked with Citibank in Trinidad and since 1989 served as a senior executive with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he developed and implemented investment strategies in emerging markets worldwide. In 2002, he was instrumental in the creation of IFC’s Global Manufacturing and Services Department (GMS) which today accounts for about 26 percent of IFC’s total portfolio. He served as its associate director.

GMS currently manages a portfolio of over US$4.5 billion, about 26 percent of IFC’s total portfolio. As a senior executive with the IFC, he developed and implemented investment strategies in emerging markets worldwide. IFC, part of the World Bank Group, is the largest source of multilateral financing for private sector projects in the developing world. He has also had extensive regional experience when as part of an IFC technical assistance programme, he was seconded to and served as Managing Director of Enterprise Development Ltd, a company registered in Trinidad, with an office in Barbados.

COMPANY HE KEEPS:
He served on the IFC Board with eminent people like business man Arthur Lok Jack, Chairman of First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) Michael Mansoor, Republic Bank Chairman and Managing Director, Ronald Harford, Prestige Holdings Chairman, Joseph Esau and Desond Brunton of the Caribbean Development Bank. Sooklal later returned to the IFC and held the portfolio of Associate Director of IFC’s Latin America and Caribbean Department.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
As an engineer, Sooklal  was involved in establishing Trinidad and Tobago’s first methanol plant and retains an avid interest in the industry, “much to RBTT’s advantage as the bank seeks to make the most of opportunities being generated in the local energy market.”Sooklal held several engineering positions in the USA and Trinidad.

RBTT’S OBJECTIVE:
Sooklal will provide strategic leadership and direction for the RBTTGroup, including definition and implementation of its organisational philosophy and expansion strategy.

GROUP CHAIRMAN PETER JULY HAD THIS TO SAY:
“If a man’s accomplishments are any true indication of what he is yet to offer, RBTT has a lot to look forward to in Sooklal .” “He brings to the table all the qualifications and characteristics required to keep RBTT on the path of growth and excellence, that we have tried hard to travel, throughout our long history,” added July.

He noted that Sooklal  is still adjusting to the day-to-day operations of the bank. “He has been demonstrative of a forward-thinking, action-oriented, committed individual who promises to provide strong strategic leadership for the RBTT Group. “He brings a unique combination of global and regional experience to the bank.”