Acting Governor Haynes Announces the Renaming of the Grande Salle in Honour of Sir Courtney Blackman

First of all I want to thank the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance for taking the time out of their busy schedules to join us.

This is a time for celebration. On that note, I commend the 45th anniversary committee for a suite of outstanding activities to mark this occasion. Led by Mrs. Arlene Estwick, the committee and subcommittees have done a tremendous job in helping us to herald this milestone, in a manner consistent with the quality and standard of our Bank. Arlene and company, I thank you.

It is also a time for reflection. It is a time for us to recognise those who have contributed to our past successes. In that regard, I pay tribute to all our governors whose vision of the Bank as a centre of excellence has shaped the organisation that we have today. I cannot do so without singling out Sir Courtney Blackman, our first Governor, who laid a solid foundation and under whose stewardship the Bank became synonymous with excellence. Indeed, Sir Courtney entrenched the excellence which all subsequent leaders have embraced and, cumulatively, they have created a resilient institution.

As a tribute to our founding father, Sir Courtney, our Board of Directors has agreed that, later this year, our premier conference facility, built by Sir Courtney as “a gift to future generations” will be renamed the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle.

I am pleased that former Governors Mr. Springer and Dr. Williams, who both worked closely with Sir Courtney in the early years, are here celebrating with us. I thank them personally for their respective contributions to our central bank, and I offer them a fitting thank you for my personal development. I am sure that they both agree that this is a fitting tribute for Sir Courtney’s contribution.

We have much to celebrate. Our economic policy advice, our research, our regulation of the financial sector, our public education and information, and, of course, our outreach have made a significant contribution to the economic landscape of Barbados.

What is less publicized and acknowledged is the depth and breadth of our human capital or, to put it another way, the accumulated knowledge and intellectual capacity behind our output.

But there can be no doubt that our staff, both past and present, has been pivotal to the Bank’s success over the years and to the respect that the institution has garnered at home and abroad. Because of their hard work, commitment, competence, confidence and tenacity we can proudly celebrate forty-five years of excellence, stability, innovation and leadership.

On behalf of our Board of Directors, current and past, I am delighted to salute our Women and Men of Excellence as we close our 45th anniversary celebrations. I wish to say thank you to all our staff, especially our long-serving women and men of excellence whom we honour tonight.

Tonight’s awards ceremony is an impressive story of the knowledge base within our organisation. Imagine the central banking knowledge of our 38 awardees, each serving between 30 and 39 years! Simply remarkable! And lest we forget, among those not receiving awards on this occasion, are 11 individuals who have served for more than 40 years and whom we have previously honoured for reaching their milestone. And there are another 130 persons who have served for 10 or more years and whose contribution we also acknowledge here tonight. The longevity of so many speaks to an environment in which persons have felt fulfilled in their jobs, have enjoyed the social life that  the Bank provides and have seen material improvement in their own standard of living.

Tonight’s honourees joined this institution when it was in its infancy, and have therefore nurtured it to maturity. They have contributed to the abundance of first time achievements that we have recorded, and of which we are tremendously proud.

They have fulfilled the vision of our governors throughout our history, sharing in the responsibility of executing the many programmes and projects behind our leaders’ purpose and values.

They have championed the Bank as a good corporate citizen by supporting and acknowledging its involvement in cultural and social activities to further enrich Barbados.

They have contributed to our sterling reputation as a leading central bank.

More importantly, our awardees have shepherded the bank through various turbulences, economic and otherwise.

They are the pillars of our 45 years of strong corporate performance.

Along the way, they made great personal sacrifices and tonight I not only hail our awardees and all our staff, but I also say heartfelt thanks to their families, to whom we are in debt for sharing their spouse, partner, parent or child with us over the years.

This is also a time to look forward. My vision is that we build on our strengths, creating an organisation that responds nimbly to the challenges that lie ahead, and demonstrating resilience when problems arise. We are in a period of transition. Leadership of the organisation is undergoing change and, increasingly, many of our stalwarts are exchanging work for the leisure activity, otherwise known as retirement. Our task is to ensure that those who remain are prepared to take up the mantle that ensures that this institution continues to provide the quality of analysis and advice that has been its hallmark and the quality of service that distinguishes us from ordinary institutions. 

As we look ahead to the next 45 years, the challenges are ever present, the financial and economic landscape is constantly changing, and our circumstances vary considerably from 1972. The new technocentric central bankers that we recruit will bring new skills that will allow us to adapt to the changing environment while embracing tenets of good governance, sound risk management and integrity that are central to our success.

I wish to see the central bank family renew itself and demonstrate energy, as evidenced by the excitement that has prevailed in recent weeks. I am certainly buoyed by this enthusiasm and spirit and given the collective knowledge, commitment, dedication and fervour within the Bank, I am confident that we shall overcome, we shall triumph.

Let us continue to support, nurture and care for each other, let us continue to include each staff member as we work to achieve our many goals and objectives. Let us continue to build a strong, united central bank.

To those persons whom we honour on this occasion, let us remember that ours is the responsibility to ensure that the legacy 45 years on is equally as fervent as that which we celebrate tonight.

In so doing, we will forever celebrate the excellence, stability, innovation and leadership for which we are known and respected.

Awardees, management, staff, past and present, you are all women and men of excellence and I salute and honour you. Do enjoy the rest of your evening.