This Week We Feature Young Professional Gaelle G. Maduro. Photo: Provided

Our Young Professional divides her time dexterously between a number of social and community activities, including being a member of the BVI Cancer Society, the Tortola Toastmasters Club, The Order of the Eastern Stars, Women Offshore Network and Heroine of Jericho. Photo: Provided

In giving advice to youth, Maduro said, “Never lose focus and be sure to get educated in any field you choose because your choices are limited when you don’t have that sound education.” Photo: Provided

“My role model is my dad in terms of his work ethics,” she said. Gene S. ‘Bau Bau Gene’ Maduro is remembered for his strong work ethic and his positive attitude towards work considered strenuous and difficult. Photo: Provided

Having a moment at work with a colleague. Photo: Provided

Our Young Professional (right) and her daughter. Photo: Provided

“My major challenge is finding a balance between spending time with my teenage daughter, finding time to study and continuing to produce good work,” she said. Photo: Provided

Maduro, who is employed at the globally known accounting firm Deloitte & Touche as an Audit Senior, is the daughter of the Virgin Islands' icon Gene S. ‘Bau Bau Gene’ Maduro who passed away earlier this year and who she credits with being her inspiration.

Her early education began at the Alexandrina Maduro Primary School in Baughers Bay and the BVI High School as it had been known then.

Laid back personality

Maduro described herself as being very laid back with her academics and said that it was not until Third Form in high school that she decided what she wanted to do with her life. She said she was able to make it to the Honour Roll by the time she finished high school and as such she gained a scholarship to attend the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.

“Shortly after that I got pregnant and lost my scholarship,” she recounted.

Maduro said she had to change her career goal as a consequence of not being able to continue her studies and she pursued a career in the financial services industry at one of the commercial banks in the territory. She told Virgin Islands News Online that she had initially wanted to be a social worker.

“I got a job at a bank and I was able to work my way through the ranks. I was a hard worker, I was diligent and was focused,” she said. However, she said that because of some personality issues and the conflicts that ensued because of them, she ended up losing her job.

She said that since then she has grown in maturity and temperament to the point where she is not that person that she used to be some years back.

“It was in my late 20’s when I lost my job at the bank when I opened my eyes and realised that I need to get more serious about my life,” she said. “I can’t just have this job to say I have a job…I needed to be more serious about my academics because not having a college degree is one of the key reasons I believe I did not progress further in life,” she admitted.

She arrived at Deloitte & Touche with about eight years’ experience in the banking sector yet she had to start over from scratch, however, her new employers recognised her potential and sponsored her studies towards the ACCA qualifications.

“They enrolled me into the ACCA programme which they are currently paying for and which I need to complete in order to move to the next level of my career aspirations.” she said.

“I am in the final stage and five subjects away from completing my ACCA designation. I was fortunate to work my way through the ranks but not as quickly as I did in the bank because it is dependent on me completing my designation.”

Further qualifications

Maduro said that once she has achieved her ACCA designation, this will open a lot of doors for her in terms of further opportunities. “I can stop with the ACCA qualification but I am seriously considering pursing a LLB, which I believe will help me in one of my future goals of becoming a forensic accountant,” she said.

Our Young Professional noted too that she has been making inquiries about other qualifications suitable for her future career goals and will make a final decision after ACCA.

Maduro is also thinking of relocating temporarily to gain additional exposure in the financial services industry.

Challenges on the job

Asked what were some of the challenges she has encountered in her job, Maduro said that when it comes to the job itself, she do not consider it a challenge as she enjoys what she does and loves the learning experience. “My major challenge is finding a balance between spending time with my teenage daughter, finding time to study, and continuing to produce good work,” she said.

Community activities

Our Young Professional divides her time dexterously between a number of social and community activities, including being a member of the BVI Cancer Society, the Tortola Toastmasters Club, The Order of the Eastern Stars, Women Offshore Network and Heroine of Jericho.

“I got involved in many community activities, which I credit to Deloitte as it is something I didn’t do in the past and Deloitte is heavily committed to community involvement,” she said.

“My hobbies are traveling and experiencing different cultures when the opportunity affords.”

“My role model is my dad in terms of his work ethics,” she said. Gene S. ‘Bau Bau Gene’ Maduro is remembered for his strong work ethic and his positive attitude towards work considered strenuous and difficult.

Advice to youth

In giving advice to youth, Maduro said, “Never lose focus and be sure to get educated in any field you choose because your choices are limited when you don’t have that sound education.”

She also gave youth a warning about making choices. “It is not every argument that you’re invited to you need to attend,” she cautioned.