“
I think we try harder than any other bank
in Saint Lucia to meet the customers’
needs, get their loans approved,
and schedule meetings with them to
understand their concerns.
“
them being customers at those
international banks for many years.
At 1 st National Bank, he says, the
human touch is ever-present.
Johannes also believes that
very often international banks
repatriate most of their profits
to their countries of origin. While
Saint Lucians support them for
many years, they are free to leave
whenever they see fit. It is often left
to indigenous banks to fill that void,
he said.
“I know what it’s like for our
people to be treated by these
banks despite our people paying
their loans religiously and what
the metrics say. At 1 st National
Bank, we visit our customers and
talk with them to get a better
understanding because we live in
the same reality as our customers.
Customers want to do business
with a bank that understands them
and the local market,” Johannes
explained.
Nevertheless, the seasoned
banker, who has had successful
stints working for international
banks, admits that the skills he
learned during those stints have
been crucial in his transitioning to
Managing Director of 1 st National
Bank. Without those international
banks, he said, many opportunities
would escape bankers from the
region. Their lasting legacy include
creating exceptional bankers
throughout the Caribbean by
exposing their employees to
professional experience in world-
class training and access to broader
markets.
“Barclays and FirstCaribbean
International Bank have made me
the banker I am today and I’ll be
forever grateful for that,” he said.
“They have both made their mark.
What I bring to 1 st National Bank
that may not have been there
before is the agility and innovation
of an international bank while
maintaining that connection to
people and understanding that
people matter.”
He added: “I think we try harder
than any other bank in St. Lucia
to meet the customers’ needs,
get their loans approved, and
schedule meetings with them to
understand their concerns. When
we make mistakes, we apologize,
take responsibility and try to fix
it. I don’t judge how good you
are at customer service when
everything goes well; I judge
you when it breaks and how you
www.slyoumag.com | February - April 2020
respond. We also see our mistakes
as opportunities to get better, but
maintain that you should not do
business elsewhere before trying us
first.”
In the field of sports, 1 st National
Bank’s support has created the
platform for thousands of the
island’s athletes to excel. The bank
believes that sports play a crucial
role in developing the talents of
young people. For many years
now, 1 st National Bank has been
sponsoring the 14-and-Under
Track and Field Championships
(previously known as the
13-and-Under Track and Field
Championships).
Other sporting events that
have benefitted from the bank’s
generosity include the Under-23
Saint Lucia National Netball Team
at the ECCB/OECS Under-23
Netball Championships, the
National Secondary Schools
Swimming Championships,
the Masters Cricket League for
veterans, International Glaucoma
Day Walk, Kouwi Sent Lisi Fun Run/
Walk, and various primary and
secondary schools sports meets.
1 st National Bank also recognizes
the many benefits that can accrue
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