Source: Date: Updated: |
TheBahamasInvestor.com
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Wednesday, April 27, 2011 |
Bank and trust company SG Hambros is celebrating 75 years in The Bahamas this year and enjoying a healthy portfolio despite the recent downturn.
“We have had a strong 2010 and, if the start of the year is any indication, we are going to have a positive 2011,” says the group’s managing director Dorothy Hilton. “The origins of our bank and trust company in The Bahamas date back to 1936 and we celebrate our 75th anniversary this year. Quite a legacy to live up to!”
Hilton is also optimistic about the economy overall and believes the recovery period has already begun.
“There’s no magic to when it will get better, but you can see the little signs of hope already,” she says. “It does not mean this industry is going to be doing the volume of business that it did five years ago. However, each partner of the industry will react to the needs of its own corporate group or client segment and, as long as these needs are met, business will improve.”
Hilton, who joined SG Hambros in 2007 and has been managing director for two years, has helped build up a skilled workforce to ensure the company maintains good results.
“We have been able to recruit some very good people,” she says. “We have skilled and experienced trust specialists, including lawyers and chartered accountants, on our trust team and we work hard to maintain a service culture.”
“Clients are more sophisticated and demanding than they were ten years ago, and in need of legal and accountancy skills. We are training our team in Spanish, French and Portuguese, as language skills and knowledge of a country and culture is also critical nowadays. The industry requires a lot more of these skills.”