Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 27, 2023 (ZIZ Newsroom): After 26 years of service the Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts Nevis Anguilla National Bank, Donald Thompson will retire this weekend.
ZIZ News spoke with Mr. Thompson about his retirement and he said he has mixed feelings about his departure.
“I mean, I’ve been here a long time, I’ve developed a lot of, I think lifelong friendships and bonds and it will be difficult to walk away from those friendships, et cetera,” he said. “But at the same time, recognising that I’ve been here 26 years and I’ve worked for over 40 years, I think it’s time to hand the mantle over to someone else, young, energetic as well and let them take it forward.”
Looking back at his tenure at the bank, Mr. Thompson said his appointment as CEO was his most memorable achievement during his career, primarily because it put him in a position to do more for the institution.
“And what that allowed me to do is to make a more significant contribution to charting the course for the development and the continued growth and prosperity of this financial institution following in the footsteps of people like Sir Edmund Lawrence, Mr. Ernest Pistana and Miss Dawn Williams,” he said. “So I consider that to be a signal event in my career here at National Bank.”
Reflecting on the challenges the bank has faced over the years Mr. Thompson spoke about an IT incident in 2021 which the bank faced and resolved. He thanked the public for continuing to put their trust in the institution.
“”I think it is very well known to the populace of the country that in February of 2021 we had a major IT incident at the bank,” he said. “That was quite impactful for the country and for our institution as a whole. But what it demonstrated to me, is the confidence that the people of St. Kitts have in National Bank because despite the long lines that encircled the bank day after day, every single customer stayed with us and that was quite commendable.”
He also commended the staff of National Bank who, during that incident, worked tirelessly to ensure that “no one ever missed a salary payment or was at any time unable to withdraw from ATM”.
See also
He said a successor has already been chosen and the announcement will be made in due time.
As for what’s next, Mr. Thompson said he wants to put his energy into helping small businesses develop plans to enable them to receive assistance from financial institutions.
