Left: Yashi Hall was recruited from Citibank Jamaica and has joined FCIB as associate director in its capital markets unit. Right: Debra Lopez is expected to join FirstCaribbean in January - File photos

Debra Lopez, formerly of NCB Capital Markets will be joining First Caribbean International Bank Jamaica as director of wealth management, informed sources tell the Financial Gleaner.

The bank's Managing Director Milton Brady has not responded to requests for comment, but Lopez, who is to take up her new job in the new year, is perhaps the most high profile of the new additions being made to the FCIB Jamaica capital markets team.

Lopez will join a team that has a fairly low profile, within a banking group which remains the fourth largest of six commercial banks.

But FirstCaribbean has been building out its capital markets unit in the region, this week announ-cing another three appointments - two in Trinidad and one in Jamaica.

Yashi Hall, whose background is in economics but has a track record in securities trading, risk analysis, marketing and portfolio manage-ment, has been recruited from Citibank Jamaica Limited - the smallest of the six commercial banks - to work in Kingston.

Responsibilities

Hall's title is associate director. Her responsibilities cover the origination and delivery of investment banking products to selected corporate and sovereign clients, and execution of transactions.

The other two recruits, Stephen Thomas and Heather Titus, are to be stationed in Port-of-Spain.

Ian Chinapoo, managing director of FCIB Capital Markets, said in a release that the three appointments signalled that business was expanding for the unit.

"We are confident that the combined experience of the most recent additions to our team will sharpen our capital markets capability, as we seek to enhance services to corporate and sovereign clients across the region," said Chinapoo.

It is understood that Brady was reluctant to comment on Lopez's appointment ahead of the filing of an information notice to the stock exchange.

Top manager going

FirstCaribbean International Bank Jamaica in New Kingston.

Lopez, a New Zealander, departed NCB Capital Markets in October, having worked with managing director Chris Williams for three years. At the time, she was a vice-president and head of the wealth manage-ment and distribution unit.

Another top manager is also leaving William's team. Assistant vice-president in the key position of risk and compliance, Robert Barnes, whose resignation from the brokerage takes effect February 7, 2008.

Lopez will assume her position at FirstCaribbean at the start of January.

Her new boss also worked with the National Commercial Bank group, before his recruitment as top banker at FirstCaribbean Jamaica.

Lopez boasts 10 years experience in the financial services sector, starting out as an accounting executive in the corporate banking division of Westpac Banking Corporation in New Zealand in 1997.

sabrina.gordon@gleanerjm.com