After being in the Financial Services Industry for some 47 years as the First VIslander to hold a Senior Manager position Mrs Rosemarie Flax has decided to 'retread' and not retire. Photo: VINO

She had high praises for her three daughters (two in photo with her son-in-law Mr David Archer) and other family members who supported her along the journey also persons including Mr Richard Peters, Lisa Penn-Lettsome, Mr John Bryce who were all registrars in the earlier days. She also extends gratitude to colleagues in the FSI and the Public at large. Photo: Provided

Among those who celebrated with Mrs Flax were Minister for Health and Social Services Hon. Ronnie W. Skelton and wife, Third District Representative Hon. Julian Fraser RA and wife and Mr Robert Mathavious and wife. Photo: Provided

Mossack Fonseca & CO BVI Ltd has recently held gala occasions locally in the VI and in Panama in celebration of her 26 years with the company and her high level of professionalism that has the company where it is here in the VI today. Photo: Provided

Mr Jurgen Mossack presents Mrs Flax with a handsome cheque at the celebration ceremony held at the Scrub Islands Resort recently. Photo: Provided

Mrs Flax was the very first Virgin Islander to have sat in the seat as a very senior Professional at the head of an institution in the Financial Services Sector Industry in the VI, a position that she said had scared her but she is happy nonetheless that she has delivered and not failed the land of her birth.

“I didn’t start out as wanting to be in the Financial Services Industry,” said Mrs Flax.

Her employment in the sector started back in the late 1960s. In an exclusive interview with this news site, being her usual self, very polite, humble and smooth, Mrs Flax recalled 34 year of working directly in the FS with the greater part of 26 years sitting at the head position at Mossack Fonseca & CO BVI Ltd.

Her journey started out with her working with the Government of the VI. However her drive to expand beyond the horizon could not have been achieved as fast as she would have wanted there.

“I started with Government; they gave me some initial training… At Government I felt that I was not working at my peak, I felt I could do more,” she recalled.

This resulted in her taking up a position offered her at Chase Manhattan Bank. Her stay and experience there count well for what she has been able to achieve today but she recalled that period with Chase Manhattan Bank to have been responsible for taking away quite a lot of her family time, “...in that I had to work late hours and one day I just got an offer…”

That offer took her to CITCO BVI. She found the offer there to have been a very humbling one as she was given an envelope one day by someone who told her that he had heard that she was one of the best in the Financial Services Industry.

“After contemplating it I decided that I would go for it, of course I did my research and discussing it with my husband we decided that it would be a good experience for me,” she said.

“I had a good family support in my husband and I think that made a lot of a difference in that he was there when I could not be there to help do the homework and tuck [the children] into bed and things like that, he was there, he was always there,” she recalled with a smile across her face.

Endeavouring to attain peak experience and knowledge she took a break for some four (4) years to advance her studies and it was after that she was approached by one Mr Richard Peters who introduced her to a senior of Mossack Fonseca & CO BVI Ltd.

“The salary was not attractive but then I am the type of person who believes that money is not everything, I was looking for job satisfaction,” she said. Actually Mrs Flax was the one to start the Mossack Fonseca & Co, BVI Ltd, office in the VI. “At one time I was the only employee…. I started the whole operations; I started Mossack in the BVI.”

Among the proud moments she recalled was her single handed effort in finding the office space and buying the furniture.

“At that time I had to push the desks with my hip in order to put them in place and I had my husband there to support me, I emptied the garbage, I run the errands, I incorporated the company, I dispatched them to the clients, I did everything but I did not mind because I knew who Mossack Fonseca was and I knew I would be able to write a success story in the end and they have not disappoint me,” she said.

After 26 years she has now attained the status of retirement however she said that the word retirement is not in her book and she has adopted a word from Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering – “Rethreading”.

She said that she has been offered and has accepted an offer from Mossack Fonseca & CO BVI Ltd as a senior advisor, one which comes with her terms and conditions. She said for as long as she has the health, strength and will power, she will continue to work.

She had high praises for her three daughters and other family members who supported her along the journey also persons including Mr Richard Peters, Lisa Penn-Lettsome, Mr John Bryce who were all registrars in the earlier days. She also extended gratitude to colleagues in the FSI and the public at large.

Mossack Fonseca & CO BVI Ltd has recently held gala occasions locally in the VI and in Panama in celebration of her 26 years with the company and her high level of professionalized that has the company where it is here in the VI today.