Our Young Professional for this Week is Mr Antonio D. Maynard who is a Corporate Administrator at Magnolia Trustee BVI Ltd.Photo: VINO

Putting service above self has landed him into the Rotaract Club of Tortola where he is the current President. Photo: Provided

Working with children in the KAT programme is one of his favourite service activities. Photo: Provided

His passion for the environment has been evident from his school days and is still well active in that field. Photo: Provided

Apart from the many things he loves, he is also very trendy especially with fashion and clothing. Photo: Provided

A group of Rotaractors can expect to have a special treat. Mr Antonio D. Maynard has set aside some time of his day today to be stuffing some strawberries with the favourite blend of cheesecake.

For those not familiar with our Young Professional you may think that his profession is that of a cake specialist but sorry to disappoint. He just has a special gift of doing the best cheesecake in the Virgin Islands (VI) something he does as a pastime activity.

Antonio is professionally specialized in the field of financial services as he is currently a Corporate Administrator, a field that time and nature has drafted him into. Going through his years at High School and College he had his eyes on becoming a computer specialist and had started to direct his studies along those lines.

However having graduated from the then BVI High School and venturing out into the world of work, life took him on to a path that he had no idea would have been the career path that was meant for him. Though still yet very young in the adult world, not yet 25 years old, he started out working in the area of finances and had spent some time working at Scotia Bank BVI Ltd, then Nevine Trust (BVI) Ltd and currently is at Magnolia Trustees BVI Ltd.

“I guess I was trying to be a professional from a very young age because at the BVI High School there was the junior achievement programme which I was a part of,” That was a programme which saw students creating a business plan and run a company during that time. It was an accredited programme.

“Along with that I was in the environmental club during school and graduated with some distinctions in science and got awards for the same environmental clubs that I participated in.”

Having completed some level of studies at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) at Paraquita Bay, Tortola, he has now made the conscience decision take on studies in the financial sector which would see him pursuing a financial degree at the Ashworth College. “After that I am going on to STEP and that’s the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners,” he noted.

Venturing off on his own to one day owning his own company in the financial services sector is something that he does not see as impossible but based on his projections thus far he sees himself somewhere about another ten years or so, sitting in a very senior position at a prominent company as a Corporate Administrator.  

Putting service above self is one of several ways our Young Professional has committed being of service to the VI community, joining the ban-wagon of people who do not sit back and wait for a government or international leaders to do everything to develop these Virgin Islands.

With that commitment he has been placed at the helm of the Rotaract Club of Tortola as the Present and outgoing president. His tenure in the that position comes to an end in June of this year 2014, after which he serves as immediate past president and one that youths can look up to as a strong leader.

“I have been on the board of directors for about three years now … and it was one of the clubs that stood out because of the number of men as opposed to the usual trend of women dominating and we were actually recognized for that.” One of his favourite activities in the club is one that sees him working with younger children in the KAT programme.

“We use row boats at the College Marine Centre where we teach them how to secure their line, boats, numbers they should call in the event of an emergency and so many other things also basic first aid. I really do loving working with them, they are such an inspiration,” stated Maynard.

When Antonio is not with at his desk, not with the Rotaractors, not with KAT kids the next place you can find him is on the beach playing volley ball. “I love volley ball to the extent that I am a member of a volley ball club for which I am performing duties of a treasurer.” He said the club puts forward at least three teams every year for the Volley Ball league.

Remember the early talk about the cheesecake? If by chance the sun has receded beyond the horizons and the moon light has risen and there are no flood lights on the beach, then peek into his kitchen. Maynard might just be there baking up one of his special cheese cakes to throw a surprise on someone special.

Asked if he would consider taking orders for cheesecake and do it as a source of income, he said, “That is something that I would say is impossible because now everyone is hearing about my special fingertip touch with cheesecake and I have been getting quite number of requests, so maybe, just maybe one day I may start taking it on as a dollar earner on the side, but for now I will continue to do it as a special treat for special people.”

In registering his advice to youths our Young Professional for this week said the best way to keep one’s mind occupied is to get involved in a community group. “Rotaract is a great place to get started and there is also Interact. There are also many other clubs and organizations that you can invest your time as opposed to wasting your invaluable youthful energies. Give yourself that chance at becoming somebody of interest in society, life is sweet once you put the ingredients in the right portion in the right place.”