Women hold more than 60% of senior leadership roles at Scotiabank

Kingston, Jamaica – Scotiabank is reaffirming its commitment to diversity and gender equality throughout its operations as the Bank observes International Women’s Day 2021.

Both locally and across the Caribbean region, the Bank is also celebrating the achievement of record numbers of women across its senior leadership ranks. In Jamaica, more than 60% of the management and board leadership of the Bank are female while at the executive level, women account for approximately 54%.

“This achievement is the manifestation of our longstanding gender-specific representation goals which have always been integral to Scotiabank’s recruitment and promotion practices,” shared Makeba Bennett-Easy, VP Human Resources.

“As part of our strategy, we seek to identify female talent at both the Senior Manager and Director levels and actively provide leadership development opportunities. This supports the retention and advancement of those employees who, in turn, go on make invaluable contributions across both our local and global operations,” she further explained.

In January, Scotiabank Jamaica named its second female president and CEO - Audrey Tugwell Henry, while Anya Schnoor – another Jamaican - was appointed as the executive vice president for the Bank’s operations in the Caribbean, Central America and Uruguay (CCAU) region. Both women have held progressively senior roles at the organization throughout their tenure.

Commenting on the global theme for International Women’s Day, Tugwell Henry said “one of the greatest ways in which we can choose to challenge gender barriers is by always being intentional about the inclusion of women at every level of the conversation.” She also called for matters of gender equity and equal opportunities for advancement for women to become a key area of focus for both businesses and governments.

To mark International Women’s Day, the Bank will host a global webinar for its team members while giving support to a number of local initiatives.