Mrs. Ladesa James-Williams has taken up her appointment as CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Director, Retail Sales OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) and Country Head, Antigua and Barbuda. She is the first Antiguan-born woman to attain this position.
Mrs. James-Williams is a product of public school education, having attended Bolans Primary School, Antigua Girls High School, and Antigua State College, followed by studies at the University of the West Indies – St Augustine, where she obtained a double degree in Chemistry and Management.
She began her career in banking in 2001 with her employment at Barclays Bank PLC as a management trainee and worked in Retail and Personal Banking in Antigua and Barbuda, Corporate Banking in St Kitts and Nevis, Human Resources in Barbados, and the International Wealth Department in The Bahamas.
Mrs. James-Williams also completed assignments as Corporate Manager in Antigua and Barbuda; Senior Corporate Manager in Barbados; Country Manager of St Kitts and Nevis, and most recently as Director, South Eastern Caribbean, having responsibility for Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Country Head for Saint Lucia.
She serves as Trustee on CIBC FirstCaribbean’s ComTrust Foundation, which manages the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility activities, focusing on Youth and Education; Health and Wellness; and the Community and Environment. She is also a Director of the Eastern Caribbean Automated Clearing House Services Incorporated, and serves on the Salvation Army Advisory Board in Saint Lucia.
She is the immediate Past President of the Bankers Association of Saint Lucia, and was recently appointed Director on the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra Board.
Under her leadership, FirstCaribbean International Bank Saint Lucia was awarded Bank of the Year 2019 for Customer Service by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
She was the recipient of the Antigua and Barbuda National Young Professional of The Year Award 2012, and is a recent graduate of FirstCaribbean Senior Leadership Development Programme through Harvard Business School.
Mrs. James-Williams is a sports fanatic, a self-professed foodie, and mother to a 5-year-old son (Zane) and a 10-month-old daughter (Zary).
Her personal motto is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The bank’s Managing Director, Ms. Donna Wellington congratulated Mrs. James-Williams and noted that “Ladesa has a passion for developing people, nurturing client relationships and giving back through continued success as she provides strategic leadership to driving growth and efficiencies in line with our overall strategic mandate.”
