Executive Management Team

Karen Darbasie

Group Chief Executive Officer

Karen Darbasie

Group Chief Executive Officer

Karen Darbasie is an accomplished senior executive with over three (3) decades of experience in the financial services and telecommunications industries with a progressive leadership style underscored by excellence and vision.

Prior to her appointment at First Citizens in April 2015 as Group Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Darbasie held several senior positions at a global financial institution based in Trinidad and Tobago, including Managing Director of the Merchant Bank, Country Treasurer and Markets Head.

Her extensive academic background coupled with her vast local and international qualifications, which include a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Electrical Engineering with First Class Honours from The University of the West Indies, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction from the University of Warwick and a Master of Science (MSc) with distinction from the University of Essex is bolstered by an innate technical business acumen.

Ms. Darbasie serves as a Director on several Subsidiary Boards within the First Citizens Group.   A former Director of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM) and St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCILEC) she currently serves as Chairman of Trinidad Nitrogen Company Limited, Director of the Bankers Association of Trinidad and Tobago and a member of the Board of Directors of United Way Trinidad and Tobago.  

Dr. Sterling Frost – Professor of Practice O.R.T.T. 

Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Operations & Administration

Dr. Sterling Frost – Professor of Practice O.R.T.T. 

Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Operations & Administration

Professor of Practice Dr. Sterling Frost has four decades of Global Corporate career experience in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean region. He is an International Management Executive who has held senior positions in the financial services sector in a range of areas including Retail and Commercial Banking, Operations Management, Public Affairs and Human Resource Management.

Before joining the First Citizens Group in 2016 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Operations and Administration, he served as Director of Human Resources at the Miami-based Citibank Latin America Head Office. There, he had oversight of 12,000 employees across 13 countries in the Central American and Caribbean region, serving 1.2 million clients. His past directorships include financial institutions across Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras. He currently serves on the Boards of several subsidiaries within and external to the First Citizens Group.

Frost has a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in Business Administration from The University of the West Indies (The UWI). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada and retains the designation of Chartered Secretary as well as, Accredited Director.  Additionally, he is also a University of California, Berkeley certified Executive Coach, as well as, a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner.

He is the recipient of The UWI Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award conferred in 2011 on high-performing individuals who consistently operate at world-class levels.  In February 2019, he was appointed Professor of Practice: Management Studies at The UWI, St. Augustine, in recognition of his professional competence, distinguished practice, notable teaching and service contributions. In 2021 the Institute of Banking and Finance of Trinidad and Tobago in its 31-year history of granting Fellowship Awards, honoured him as the first person to be conferred a Fellowship Award in the category of: Substantial Contribution towards the Advancement of Knowledge of the Theory of Banking and Finance. In 2022 Frost was awarded the highest national honour – The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) for distinguished and outstanding service to Trinidad and Tobago in the spheres of Banking, Education and Community Service.

He has consistently been committed to the transfer of knowledge and strategies for change that builds efficiencies across several sectors through his teaching contributions at The UWI since 2002 to present. He is First Examiner and Adjunct Lecturer at The UWI – The Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, the Department of Management and the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences for several courses in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. He specialises in the areas of Organisational Behaviour and Development, Human Resource Management, Cross-Cultural Management, Strategic Planning, Strategic Leadership, Strategic Performance Management and Change Management.

He is committed to advancing optimal national development for all sectors through his contribution to various government, academic and civil society organisations as reflected in his Chairmanship of The Lydian Singers, as Chair of The UWI St Augustine campus Faculty of Social Sciences Advisory Board, Chair of The UWI St Augustine campus Institute for Gender and Development Studies External Advisory Board, Chair of The UWI Development and Endowment Fund, Chair of the Board of the Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life (FEEL) and Chair of the First Citizens Foundation. He also serves as Deputy Chair of the Statutory Authorities Service Commission and served as Deputy Chair of the Public Service Commission for a 3 year term.  He is an Assessor/Advisor to the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago, Director of the St Lucia Electricity Services Limited and Director of Angostura Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries.

Jason Julien

Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Business Generation

Jason Julien

Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Business Generation

Jason Julien is a Chartered Financial Analyst with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the holder of a BSc in Management Studies with honours from The University of the West Indies (The UWI), an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, as well as top honours in IABF’s 2018 Professional Certificate for Financial Advisors Programme (Cert. FA) in the Banking specialization. He is currently enrolled in the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and his career has covered consultancy with PricewaterhouseCoopers and management positions at an international bank. He was also employed with one of the largest financial services conglomerates in the Caribbean, where he managed over $8 billion in assets.

He is a former member of the Finance Faculty at the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, and is a commentator on economic, investment and financial matters. Mr. Julien was also honoured as one of the Distinguished Alumni of The UWI, St. Augustine. Mr. Julien is a Past President of the CFA Society of Trinidad and Tobago and has served on the Boards of the Mutual Fund Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the Securities Dealers Association of Trinidad and Tobago as well as the NextGen Board of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Mr. Julien has also served as the Vice-Chairman of the Capital Markets Development Committee of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and as Chairman of the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Mr. Julien is also a Director on the Boards of several subsidiaries within the First Citizens Group.

Senior Management Team

Kirlyn Archie-Lewis

General Manager – Group Human Resources

Kirlyn Archie-Lewis

General Manager – Group Human Resources

Lindi Ballah-Tull

General Counsel, Group Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer

Lindi Ballah-Tull

General Counsel, Group Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer

Gillian Benjamin

Head Brand and Marketing (Ag.)

Gillian Benjamin

Head Brand and Marketing (Ag.)

Nola Drayton-Smith

Group Chief Financial Officer (Ag.)

Nola Drayton-Smith

Group Chief Financial Officer (Ag.)

Avril Edwards

General Manager – Digital and Electronic Services

Avril Edwards

General Manager – Digital and Electronic Services

Keshwar Khodai

Head – Group Treasury and International Trade

Keshwar Khodai

Head – Group Treasury and International Trade

Cheryl-Ann La Roche

Head – Retail Banking Designate

Cheryl-Ann La Roche

Head – Retail Banking Designate

Robin Lewis

General Manager – First Citizens Investment Services Limited

Robin Lewis

General Manager – First Citizens Investment Services Limited

Shiva Manraj

Group Chief Risk Officer

Shiva Manraj

Group Chief Risk Officer

Ishwarlal Mongru

Head – Commercial Banking

Ishwarlal Mongru

Head – Commercial Banking

Neela Moonilal-Kissoon

Head – Integration Operations

Neela Moonilal-Kissoon

Head – Integration Operations

Larry Olton

General Manager – Operations (Ag.)

Larry Olton

General Manager – Operations (Ag.)

Sana Ragbir

General Manager – Retail and Commercial Banking

Sana Ragbir

General Manager – Retail and Commercial Banking

Anil Ramdhanie

Chief Information Officer

Anil Ramdhanie

Chief Information Officer

Anthony St. Clair

Chief Internal Auditor – Group Internal Audit

Anthony St. Clair

Chief Internal Auditor – Group Internal Audit

Sacha Syne

General Manager – Corporate and Investment Banking

Sacha Syne

General Manager – Corporate and Investment Banking

Carver Trim

General Manager – Trustee Services

Carver Trim

General Manager – Trustee Services

Brian Woo

General Manager – First Citizens Depository Services

Brian Woo

General Manager – First Citizens Depository Services

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