Conroy Ward: young, in charge

André Gordon, Gleaner Writer

GONE ARE the days when our bank managers were people who were in their late 60s waiting for retirement. Today, Jamaican companies have taken a cue from the global marketplace and are investing in youth as part of their leadership cadre.

The National Commercial Bank (NCB) has adopted this stance and has been elevating young talents to management positions within its branch network over the last decade. Conroy Ward is one such beneficiary of this system. At only 32, Ward became one of the youngest managers. A proud graduate of York Castle High School, the Brown's Town Community College, and the University of West Indies, the manager-philanthropist has already achieved more in his field than most his age.

"I left school into a job and have never been out of a job since. I started life within the hollowed walls of the Brown's Town Community College library and had to adjust to the working world rapidly. As my supervisor at the time was very strict disciplinarian, I learnt not to take work pressure personally," Ward related.

Having learnt life lessons at the Brown's Town Community College library, Ward's opportunity in banking came when he applied and was accepted to a position at NCB in Brown's Town. "I started at the bottom of the ladder as a counter clerk and eventually worked my way up," he recounted.

Five-year plan

After settling in at the bank, Ward set about the job of personal development. In his spare time, he decided to learn other areas of banking, starting in systems administration. He later added general-ledger work, serving as a credit officer during this period. Ward's persistence and hard work paid off when he applied for and got the position of personal banker, which was a management-support position at the Port Maria branch.

"In my last interview at Brown's Town, I told my manager that in five years, I wanted to manage my own branch, but that came in one and a half years when I left Port Maria and took up the assignment at the Chapelton branch as manager," Ward told The Gleaner.

When asked what motivated him, Ward replied: "You have to seek wise counsel. People who have experience can channel you in a particular way, and it is phenomenal what the outcomes can be. At the time, I sought advice from Mr Norman Radcliff, who was a regional manager and had great knowledge and a wealth of experience. I also fed off the energy of my peers."

Late last year, Ward responded to the call of Errol Brennan and partnered with his foundation, The Errol Brennan Foundation International, to construct a home for a retired security guard in St Elizabeth who had been living in abject poverty. Ward went beyond financial donations and used his personal time to ensure the project was carried out on schedule and within budget.

Ward is the second of three boys for his mother and grew up in a single-parent home. His mother was the backbone of the family and still remains so today. Positive influences, Ward said, also came from church and his granduncle.

Wards' extra-curricular activities

Brown's Town Police Youth Club

New World Order Youth Club

Treasurer of the Port Maria District Development

Committee

Summer Field Development Committee in Chapelton

President of the Black River Kiwanis club.