Financial Advisory Committee (FAC)

The Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) consists of Chief Executives and other senior executives of regional financial institutions. The objective of the FAC is to utilize their institutions’ financing mechanisms to increase available funding for viable projects. They also provide project evaluation support to determine the development requirements of projects. The group of executives comprising the FAC leverage their experience and professional networks to improve access to financing and to deliver innovation in the financing of climate smart projects throughout the region.

The FAC is primarily responsible for:

  • Evaluating a pipeline of projects to be funded through the mechanisms within their institutions;
  • Participating in blended financial instruments;
  • Advising on the optimum financial structure to successfully bring projects to fruition; and
  • Serving as a knowledge resource for the Leadership Team and Board of Directors on building out the investment readiness of the Caribbean.

FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Gregory N. Hill

Bio

Gregory N. Hill is a career investment banker and Caribbean business influencer. He has served in leadership and executive positions at preeminent regional and international Financial Institutions and Business Associations for nearing 30 years.

Mr. Hill joined ANSA Merchant Bank Limited (AMBL) in Trinidad and Tobago in 2007 after acquiring significant banking and capital markets exposure. As Managing Director, he has steered AMBL to become a dynamic regional financial institution.

Today, the AMBL Financial Group is unique in the Caribbean financial sector. It encompasses non-bank financial institutions and a newly acquired retail commercial bank. Mr. Hill is Chairman of ANSA Merchant Bank (Barbados) Limited and a Director of one of the region’s oldest insurance companies, TATIL, which owns TATIL Life and has a significant branch in Barbados. In February 2021, AMBL concluded the acquisition of an international bank and launched ANSA Bank Limited, of which Mr. Hill is a Director.

Mr. Hill maintains his connections to the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business where he graduated as Top MBA Student on completing his Executive MBA. He remains Chairman of its Alumni Association, and mentors young students with big dreams whilst creating opportunities for suitable candidates within the AMBL fold.

Mr. Hill is actively involved in energizing and promoting regional business sectors for entrepreneurs and business owners. He sits as Vice President of the Board of the Trinidad and Tobago American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and is focused on developing channels of opportunity on a wider scale at the national level

Gregory N. Hill is a graduate and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) (FCCA), and a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago (ICATT). He represents the Caribbean region as a Committee Member of the Accountant for Business Global ACCA Forum.

Managing Director

Daniel Best

Bio

As Director of the Projects Department of the Caribbean Development Bank, Daniel Best is accountable for the management, pipeline development, appraisal and implementation of the Bank’s lending and Technical Assistance programmes in all the sectors in which the Bank operates.
Since becoming Director in 2015, Daniel has consistently led the Department in delivering strong results which formed the majority contribution in the Bank achieving its critical Approval and Disbursement targets. Before being promoted to his current position, Daniel held various management positions within the Projects Department including that of Acting Division Chief in the Economic Infrastructure Division where he was responsible for all infrastructure interventions including those in the Water and Sanitation and Energy Sectors.
Prior to joining CDB, Mr. Best was the Regional Project Manager for a multinational commercial financial institution where he successfully led the implementation of the organisation’s regional infrastructure development mandate. Mr. Best is a Civil Engineer with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Durham and a Project Management Professional with over 24 years’ successful experience building, leading and functioning within multidisciplinary and multicultural project teams and work environments.
Daniel has a passion for acting and has become central figure within the Barbadian Performing Arts scene appearing in a number of local stage, television and movie productions.

Projects Director

Donna Wellington

Bio

Donna Wellington joined CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank in 2005, after working 15 years in the financial services industry at Sagicor, EY Caribbean and PwC in Barbados. In June 2013 she was appointed to her current role as Managing Director.
In this position Donna has responsibility for revenue generation and regulatory affairs across all key segments of the banking operations of the Barbados Operating Company in 7 countries (Barbados, 6 countries in the OECS). A seasoned corporate banker with 33 years’ experience in the financial services sector. Her current focus is growth of the renewable energy sector in the region and transformation of the payments ecosystem using best-in-class digital payment channels to assist with the wider transformation agenda of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Managing Director, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean

Ivan B. O’B. Carter

Bio

Ivan Carter heads the Delta Capital Private Equity Group (Delta), as Group CEO, Partner, and member of the Board of Directors. In addition to being a Director of all Delta member companies, where he also sits on/chairs various committees, Ivan is a Director of a number of companies outside of the Delta Group. Ivan is an experienced Professional and Executive with a proven track record of successes and expertise in multiple disciplines. Highly knowledgeable in Financial Services (Finance, Investments, Funds Management,
Insurance, Reinsurance, and Banking in particular) with high awareness for other industries such as
Hospitality/Accommodation, Real Estate Development, Property Management and Alternative Investments.
A commercially driven and results oriented leader, Ivan holds a master’s degree in Business Administration
(MBA), a Master of Science degree (MSc) in Management Information Systems, and several Accounting
Certifications. He is a Fellow of the Life Office Management Institute (FLMI) and is accredited in various other
disciplines. Dedication, passion, purposeful, professional and commitment to excellence are some attributes of his service. He is a proud Barbadian transformational leader who has conceived, led, or played leading roles in volumes of strategic initiatives through-out his career.
Ivan was a key contributor to the growth of Sagicor Group Jamaica during his seventeen-year stint from June 2003 to April 2020 where he carried the responsibility of Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and for over ten years during that period, the twinned responsibility of Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Sagicor Group Jamaica.
He served as Head of Finance at Sagicor Financial Corporation in Barbados up to May 2003. In this capacity, Ivan was also a key contributor to the growth and expansion of the Group from its days as the Barbados Mutual Life Assurance to the rebranded Sagicor Group. He played leading roles in numerous important initiatives during his stint in Barbados. Ivan is married with two daughters. He resides in Kingston Jamaica.

Group CEO, Director, and Partner

Alicia Taylor

Bio

Alicia Taylor is an Investment Management Lead Officer, in the Infrastructure and Energy division at IDB Invest, based in Trinidad. She is responsible for originating and structuring sustainable development financing projects in the energy, transportation, water and sanitation, and social infrastructure sectors throughout the Caribbean countries in which the Bank operates.
Before joining the IDB Group, she was a Partner at The Phi Group Limited providing financial advisory consultancy services to clients in several sectors including the Financial, Infrastructure, Energy, Hospitality and Manufacturing sectors. As part of her more than twenty (20) year career in the Financial services sector, Ms. Taylor has held several senior positions throughout the Banking sector and has years of regional and international training and experience. She held positions such as, Cash Manager and Trade Head (Caribbean) at Citibank, Assistant Vice President at AIC Finance Limited and Head of Scotiatrust and Merchant Bank Limited where she managed Scotia’s Capital Market’s business, with responsibility for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
Alicia earned an International Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from UWI/Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business and an Undergraduate Honours degree BSc. Management Studies from the University of the West Indies (UWI- Trinidad).

Investment Management Lead Officer

ANSA Merchant Bank, T&T

Caribbean Development Bank

CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank

Delta Capital Partners Jamaica Limited

IDB Invest

John Peter Ellis Clarke

Bio

JP Clarke, General Manager, Credit and Enterprise Risk, is a banking professional with close to a decade of investment banking and commercial and retail banking experience at the senior management level of Republic Bank Limited.

Prior to his most recent position, JP served as Senior Branch Manager, Commercial and Retail Banking, where, among his substantive duties, he oversaw projects relating to branch operations, including Information Technology and efficiency initiatives. He was responsible for leading the teams in generating retail and commercial sales to achieve significant asset and deposit growth at the Independence Square and Promenade Centre branches in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

JP has served as Head, Investment Banking Division, with strategic oversight of investment opportunities arising from the Bank’s acquisitions and expansion in the Caribbean, Suriname, and Ghana. He has also served as Investment Manager, Corporate and Investment Banking Division, building key client relationships and originating new business prospects across the region’s private and public sectors.

A Graduate of St. Mary’s College, Port of Spain, he was a Trinidad and Tobago National Open Scholarship winner (2005) and went on to read Land Economy and Management Studies at Cambridge University, UK.

General Manager, Credit and Enterprise Risk

Mrs. Naomi E. De Allie

Bio

Naomi E. De Allie was appointed Managing Director of Republic Bank (Grenada) Limited in April 2021; and is the first female to hold this position. She is a career banker with a wealth of experience in commercial credit, corporate credit and risk management streams, gathered over her twenty-six years with the Group. Naomi, an Associate of the Chartered
Institute of Bankers, UK, holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Financial Services from the University of Manchester, and a Master of Science degree in Finance from the University of London. She held the position of General Manager – Credit & Enterprise Risk at Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited for three years. Prior to her secondment to Barbados, she served as General Manager – Credit at Republic Bank (Grenada) Limited for five years.

Managing Director

Stephen Grell

Bio

Stephen is currently the Managing Director of Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited. He is a career banking professional and has a proven track record of developing and executing strategies across the financial services landscape in the Caribbean, North and South America, and the United Kingdom. Over the course of his career, he has amassed, and brings to bear, considerable expertise in capital markets, corporate finance, investment analysis, accounting, and risk management.

Prior to his most recent appointment, Mr. Grell served as Vice President – Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory at Citibank, where he managed key relationships in the Public Sector and Financial Institutions Group in Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao and Guyana.

He holds a Master of Science in Finance and Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

He is passionate about Environmental, Social and Governance matters with particular interest in the role financial institutions have to play in addressing these issues.

Managing Director

Nigel Edwards

Bio

Executive Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation, Nigel Edwards brings a wealth of experience with more than 25 years of strategic management at the highest levels across an array of disciplines. Edwards continues to lead the cultural, commercial and technological transformation of the Corporation, focused on a customer-centric approach and driving technological transformation to cater for UTC’s future growth and expansion. He has demonstrated visionary leadership throughout his career and is a vigorous advocate that people are a company’s strongest asset, and they are the foundation for value-creation for all stakeholders. Prior to his current role, he served as Chief Executive of Tatil Life Assurance Limited, having spent 16 years in various leadership positions in the ANSA McAl group. Throughout his career, he has guided multiple complex mergers and acquisitions and corporate reorganisations and restructuring efforts.
Mr Edwards has served as a non-executive Director on several listed companies on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange as well as on several public interest company Boards. He is active in several community organisations across Trinidad and Tobago. A national scholarship winner from St Augustine Senior Comprehensive School, he is the holder of a MSc. Finance from the London Business School and a BSc. Management Studies from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Mr. Edwards is also a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Executive Director

Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited

Republic Bank (Grenada) Limited

Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited

 

Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation