Livingstone Morrison - Blazing a trail of success

Through determination, grit, and hard work, anyone can overcome their circumstances and achieve success. Livingstone Morrison, deputy governor of the Bank of Jamaica, is the epitome of this statement, and has demonstrated that it is possible to overcome life's toughest challenges and create some-thing better for yourself.

Morrison, who is from large family, was born in St Ann and was the first child for both of his parents. However, during his early years, he grew up with his grandparents. He then moved to Kingston, where he lived with his father for a brief period, and then spent the rest of childhood into young adulthood with his mother.

"My father wanted me to attend school in Kingston, but each summer, I would visit my grandparents. I was very close to my grandfather, and being around him also fuelled my zeal to be successful," Morrison said.

 

Self-expression

 

Morrison said that growing up in the Allman Town area of Central Kingston was a special time for him as he had the opportunity to express himself in a number of ways. He had the opportunity to play sports, volunteer with the Salvation Army and play the guitar.

"My mother had a passion for helping people in the community not because she had it, but because she wanted to assist. My father displayed similar characteristics, and these character traits were passed on to me while growing up.

As the assistant public relations officer for the local Police Youth Club, he did such a good job that he received assistance from the police high command for his community, who saw his unrelenting passion and determination to succeed.

"I received a one-year scholarship that became a yearly assistance programme until I left primary school. I had to visit with my mentors at the police post each week, and I had to give them updates on my perfor-mance in school and other activities that I was involved in," Morrison said.

 

Formative years

 

"With these interactions, I developed the capacity to interact and communicate with persons on all levels. My foundation for leadership was set in those formative years," he added.

"When I started attending Kingston College, the socialisation was different. I became a part of a family that was focused on taking on the world. It also became a search for me to discover what were my skills and abilities as an individual," he said.

After sixth form, Morrison made the decision to defer his university studies, so he applied for several jobs. "I saw the economic pressure that my father and mother faced, and I did not want to add anything more to their situation," Morrison said.

He was contacted for an interview at the Bank of Jamaica and was accepted.

His tenure at the Bank of Jamaica has been dominated by his role in management and administration. His career has included executive management experiences in agriculture and manufacturing and in the manufacturing and modernisation of Jamaica's payments, clearing and settlement system to meet international standards of safety and efficiency.

"I do not feel as if I have been working for one institution because of the roles I have had over the years. I tend to challenge myself to do better all the time. The Bank of Jamaica has allowed me to excel, and I have learnt that if you want to be on the cutting edge, you must have good people around you and you must challenge people to be the best that they can be," Morrison said.

As deputy governor at the Bank of Jamaica, he has responsibility for the Finance and Technology Division, the Administrative and Technical Services Division, as well as Payment Systems and Risk Management Sub-division.

He leads the strategic and operational planning processes of the bank.

"I see myself as a 'corporate athlete'. I ask myself what it takes to perform at the optimum level, and I bring the complete person to the job in order to perform at my best. A good executive spends the time to prepare and he understands what he needs to do to be at his best," Morrison said.