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This Week We Feature Young Professional Lurina Leonard-Charles
This is part of the story of this week’s Young Professional Lurina Leonard-Charles.
Lurina is the Home Finance Specialist at Scotia Bank (British Virgin Islands) Limited, where she has worked for the past 16 ½ years. A Home Finance Specialist, she says, reviews Home Builder Loans, Home Equity Financing and competitive mortgage products then comes up with affordable solutions to the customer’s unique needs. “I sit with the customer and look at his or her finances and let them know what can be offered as it pertains to what they want, whether they want to buy or build a home or consider switching their mortgage to Scotiabank”.
This Virgin Islander has held that senior position for the past two years; however, she has vast experience in banking having worked in the Customer Service and Retail Department for most of her tenure within Scotiabank.
After graduating from the then BVI High School, Lurina worked with the Government for a short period and it was because of her excellent customer service quality, which comes quite naturally, she was invited to apply for a position at a Financial institution. The then Manager of the bank was impressed with Lurina’s customer service ability and offered her a package to work in the bank since 1990. Lurina did not refuse and entered bravely into the financial service field, where she has been ever since.
Lurina recalls that back in high school, both she and her twin sister wanted to pursue careers in athletics. She was capable of doing any event but particularly loved running the 100 and 200 meters. However, financial constraints as well as a different view by her parents prevented her from going ahead with her initial dreams. “So it was never a thought at the time that I would end up in a financial institution.” Her twin also ended up in a different career path.
She recalls her favorite part about being a twin is that the public always takes her sister for her. “We are identical twins most people would say, we look alike and our mannerisms are the same”.
The transition from wanting to pursue an athletic career to a desk job was easy. At the time she still continued to engage in different sporting activities which included softball. “It was easy because I was able to play softball and other sports in my spare time.” This continued until she broke her leg which virtually ended her playing days. Although she no longer plays softball or participate in track and field, her daughter is admirable in softball and her nephew is a track star and they both will get the opportunity she and her sister did not accomplish.
Looking back on the 16 ½ years of experience at Scotiabank, Lurina says it has been a great experience. She started at Customer Service but within less than three years she moved over to the Retail Department and then began to move up the ranks. She started as a Personal Banking Officer, and was later promoted to the Supervisor of Customer Service and also the Credit Department before taking up the role of Home Finance Specialist. While climbing the corporate ladder, she was able to achieve various awards such as Top Sales Officer for the year, Sales Excellence Award, Managing Director Awards to name a few. She is currently pursuing a certification to become a Personal Financial Planner with CSI Global Education Inc.
The challenges from since starting at Scotiabank to now have been minimized greatly for Lurina and all other staff thanks to technology and a great Management Team. “Back then a lot was done manually which meant staff had to deal with lots of paper and now we have an interactive system where most information is a click of a button. Not to mention, Scotiabank’s core purpose is to ensure our customers are financially better off, as such they provide us with the tools and training to get our jobs done”.
She added that Scotiabank is a strong organization that gives good moral support to staff. She enjoys what she does, however, in the future Lurina sees herself in a managerial position at Scotiabank.
Our Young Professional’s advice to youth is the same that she would give to her children. “I would always tell them if they want to pursue something in life you have to make that extra effort. Continue striving for the best.”
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