Hall of Fame Awards criteria

 

1: Minimum of 20 years selling experience /management experience.
2: Minimum of 10 years membership in CARAIFA.
3: In the following A, C, D, E, apply in all instances. 'B' will apply if the nominee is in a managerial position:

  1. 10 years of Top Sales Service.
  2. Outstanding Achievements as a Manager.
  3. Outstanding contributions to your Association.
  4. Outstanding contributions to the Insurance Industry.
  5. Combination of outstanding sales and academic achievements.

4: History of the Highest Ethical Standards and endorsement of your Association and/or the Office of the Supervisor of Insurance.

CARAIFA Hall of Famers

Maxim Marquez BSc (Econ.), MBA - 2023

Maxim Marquez entered the life insurance industry in June 1992 as an Agent with Guardian Life of the Caribbean and five years later in 1997 he was promoted to Unit Manager. His performance as a Unit Manager and clear dedication to his clients attracted the attention of Maritime Life Insurance Company and that company recruited him as an agency Manager in 2005.

In 2010 Maxim made the decision to move his Agency to Algico/MetLife where he continued his meteoric growth and development. Very soon thereafter, Algico/Met life was acquired by The Pan American Life Insurance Group (PALIG) and in 2013 he was offered the position of Vice President and Regional Director of Agencies. Maxim Marquez holds a Bachelor of Economics Degree from the University of the West Indies and an MBA from the Henley Business School.

This dynamic, determined, affable, and outstanding citizen of Trinidad and Tobago has enjoyed an Illustrious career in the Insurance and Financial Services Industry giving yeoman service at the Executive and Board level to the Association of Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Companies, The Life Underwriters Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LUATT) / Trinidad and Tobago Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (TTAIFA) and The Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA).

As a signal honour by his peers in the land of his birth in the year 2017 Maxim Marquez was inducted into the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Hall of Fame.

He is a Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) and served as its local Chair in 2000 and 2001. Maxim has also led by example as an individual producer qualifying for numerous Industry and Sales awards over the last 3 decades.

Maxim Marquez is a proven results-oriented and decisive leader, expert presenter, public and motivational speaker. In his current position Maxim is responsible for developing and managing PALIG’S strategic initiatives and plans for agency distribution, sales, and marketing in the Caribbean. He is highly respected and is an aptly qualified insurance and financial services executive, currently responsible for approximately 400 agents in 24 agencies spanning 13 countries.

Maxim Marquez is married to Alison; he is the father of four children and has one grandson. He loves fishing, boating, and spending time on the beach.

For his outstanding, meritorious, avid support, service and leadership in the Caribbean that has contributed to elevating the image of Insurance Advisors, we salute this stalwart.

The Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA) is delighted to induct Maxim Marquez Bsc (Econ.), MBA as its Hall of Fame Inductee for the year 2023.

Mark Norville,CLU - 2018

CARAIFA’s Hall of Fame nominee for 2018 is Mark Norville.  Mark entered the life insurance business in 1975 with Barbados Mutual, now, Sagicor Life.  His previous employments after attending Harrison College 1956-1963 includes being Reservation Control Clerk with BWIA, Chief Reservations Officer with British Airways, Reservation Manager Head Office Antigua for LIAT and Sales Manager (Barbados) for National Continental Corporation.

While being a Sales Agent with Sagicor, he served as Director and Chairman of Fundraising (Life Underwriters Association of Barbados) 1977-1978, Director and Chairman of Membership (Life Underwriters Association of Barbados) 1978-1979, and President of Barbados Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors 1982-1983.

He has qualified for most of the industry’s top awards including: 1976-1979 Barbados Production Award, 1977- 1978 Barbados Quality Award, 1978 Barbados Star Award Barbados Mutual and 1975-1983 Persistency Award (over 90%).  He completed the Life Underwriters Training Course in 1977 and in 1981 qualified for the Chartered Life Underwriter degree (CLU).

In 1983, Mark took the innovative step of becoming, Co-Founder and Director of Insurance and General Services Ltd, the first Life Insurance Brokerage in Barbados.  The Brokerage Firm started with BDS$100.00 and one staff member and is now thirty-three years old and has a staff of fourteen and a very appreciative net worth.

Mark served as President of Caribbean Association of Life Underwriters (now CARAIFA) 1986-1989 and during this period, worked with Governments of some Territories to establish a regulatory body to oversee the Life Insurance Industry.  From 2005 to 2006 he served as President of the Barbados Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

An excellent Manager and Organizer, Mark has served as Barbados Congress Director for four Congresses: 1986 “Soar Beyond the Clouds”, 1988 “The Power of Movement”, 1992 “For the Love of Life” and 1996 “The Joys of Life”.

A God-fearing family man, Mark Norville is a skilled and experienced insurance professional, well versed in the art of organizing and is committed to providing quality service to clients. A Successful entrepreneur, he is a member of the Small Business Association of Barbados.

A versatile individual, he is a former Division One Hockey Player, Past President of the Lions Club and Rotary Club of Barbados, Past Member of the Empire Cricket Club, Active member of the St. George Anglican Church, Member of the Church Council, Past Member of the National Cultural Foundation Board, The Barbados Youth Service, represented Barbados at various football, hockey and athletics Meets, Member of the Barbados Masters and Senior Athletic Club, represented Barbados at the World Seniors Game and won two gold medals. 

He is an author of “Group Benefit Plans and the contract” one of the modules in Introduction to Life Underwriting Course manual.  He was the Association’s representative on the committee that was responsible for reviewing the Barbados Pension Act.   He was also instrumental in the development of a Personal Accident Plan which is used by the Barbados Community.

As a result of his outstanding involvement in the insurance industry, his service to the Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial advisors along with his achievements  in activities that have served to enhance the image of insurance advisors in the Caribbean, CARAIFA is delighted to approve Mark Norville  as its 2018 HALL OF FAME inductee.

 

Winston Bennett BSc, CLU, ChFC - 2016

CARAIFA's 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee entered the Life Insurance business as a salesman with the St. Andrew Circle Branch of Life of Jamaica (now Sagicor) in 1976 after serving as the Plant Chemist and Production Manager with Caribbean Steel Company.

He has been a qualifier for most of the Industry's top awards including the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table. He was appointed Unit Manager in 1981 and on 3 occasions won the Life of Jamaica Unit Manager's Trophy. He was appointed Branch Manager in 1990 and Senior Branch Manager in 1993. He has repeatedly qualified for the Life Insurance Managers and General Agents Association (LIMGAA) Master Branch Award and was designated Branch Manager of the Year by LIMGAA in 1994 and 1995.

After taking early retirement from Life of Jamaica, he was appointed Executive Sales Manager of Blue Cross of Jamaica and later worked as a Regional Sales Manager and Training Officer for the National Commercial Bank Jamaica (NCB) Insurance. He currently serves as a Sales and Training Manager for Excel Insurance Brokers.

In his insurance career Winston has recruited/trained/managed approximately three hundred (300) insurance agents.

The holder of a BSc (Hons,) degree in Chemistry from the University of the West Indies, Winston became an Life Underwriters Association Training Course (LUATC) graduate in 1980, a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) in 1982 and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) in 1999.

A very involved member of the Insurance Industry, Winston has served as a Life Underwriters of Jamaica (LUAJ) now the Jamaica Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (JAIFA) Board Member for over 5 years. He has also given yeoman service on several of the Association's Committees. He served LIMGAA in the capacity of a Board Member and Congress Chairman. In the area of education, Winston was a member of the CLU Institute, and a moderator for both LUATC and Agency Managers Training Course (AMTC) Moderator.

His talent as an outstanding motivational speaker and Master of Ceremonies par excellence has made him a much sought after Main Platform Speaker for Sales Congresses. Congresses held in, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, Dominica, Belize and Bermuda has benefited from this gift including a LIMRA Conference held in Jamaica in 2001. He has also been a Keynote Speaker for numerous Sales Awards, Retreats, Seminars and Conferences for several companies which include: Sagicor Life Jamaica, Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) Insurance, Demerara Life, Guardian Life Jamaica, Scotia Insurance and Allied Insurance Brokers.

Winston has been a much sought after Master of Ceremonies for matrimonial occasion, not only in the Insurance Industry but also in the wider corporate Jamaica recording a whopping 250 weddings.

Winston Bennett is deeply involved in both Church and Community Affairs. He serves as: Chairman of the Board of Elders of Covenant City Church, a leader in the Christian Community in Jamaica – serving on many boards, a leader of Deeper Life Ministries (DLM), and the inner city outreach programme of the schools and churches in Trench Town and Majesty Gardens in Kingston.

The 46 years union between Winston and his wife Dawn has been blessed with two children and two grand-children. His hobbies include hiking and horticulture.

As a result of his tremendous impact on professionals in the Insurance Industry throughout the Caribbean, his unflinching support of activities of the Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA), and involvement in activities that have served to enhance the image of the insurance professionals, CARAIFA is pleased to induct in its 2016 Hall of Fame Mr. Winston Bennett, BSc, CLU, ChFC.

G. A. Harrison 'Harry' Pilgrim BA, CLU, MBA - 2015

Harry Pilgrim is a former Regional Manager for Sagicor Capital Life's insurance operations in Belize. He held that position for twelve (12) years, up to December 2012. Currently, he is an Alternate Director on the National Health Insurance Committee of the Social Security Board of Belize, Alternate Chairman of the Board of Management of the Anglican Cathedral College (formerly the St. Michael's College – his alma mater), and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Belize. He is also seen as a "perennial contributor" to the Kidney Association of Belize.

He is also a founding member and past president of the Life Underwriters Association of Belize (LUABz), now Belize Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (BelAIFA). He has been a moderator for life industry education programmes, and has served as the Public Relations Director on the Executive of the Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA) not once, but twice.

Our 2015 Inductee's commitment to the Industry is unchallenged in Belize and throughout the Caribbean. He is seen as the quintessential "insurance man", always immaculately dressed, always knowledgeable and willing to share information with clients and prospects and always delivering quality service.

He was Secretary for many years, during the 1970's and 1980's, of the Belize Insurance Association (BIA), and has participated in numerous regional meetings of the Insurance Association of the Caribbean (IAC). He was among the few brave souls that organized the first IAC Conference that was held in Belize.

He was also very influential in bringing the first CARAIFA Congress to Belize in 1998. He spearheaded the return of Congress in 2001 and took the reins, as Congress Director, of the 2012 Congress, in Belize. He has been a prolific attendee at Congress, beginning with Barbados in 1992 and participating in more than twelve (12) others. At many of these congresses, he was host of the Hospitality Suite, where congress attendees gathered to ‘let down their hair' and socialize with their colleagues at the end of the day's session.

The CARAIFA congresses strengthened his commitment to his chosen career, worked miracles on the performance of many of the advisors he introduced to CARAIFA's Congresses and provided opportunities to forge enduring friendships with persons who were themselves among the CARAIFA faithful.

He attended St. Michael's College in Belize City, Belize and Calabar High School in Kingston, Jamaica before completing a Bachelor's degree with History as a major at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica. There he also excelled at Track and Football, and played Cricket for the 2nd Division Team. He represented Belize in Track at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo in 1974.

At UWI Mona, our CARAIFA Hall of Fame Inductee held office in the Student Government, initially, as the Arts Faculty Representative then as Second Vice President of the UWI Undergraduate Guild Council. That position made him Chairman of the Student Union Committee, more commonly called "Union Chairman". He served under the Presidencies of several individuals who have become prominent contemporary political figures. These include Robert "Bobby" Pickersgill of Jamaica, Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and retired Jamaican diplomat Douglas Saunders.

With his personal and professional lives being "fully integrated"; he has retained an enduring interest in education and training, as the keys to the treasures of a full and rewarding life.

He returned home, from Jamaica, in 1973 and taught at two High Schools in Belize (becoming principal of one) before making a complete career switch in 1977, (the year CARAIFA's precursor CALU was formed) becoming a Life Underwriter with Caribbean Atlantic Life. He immediately sought to qualify himself formally in his new area of activity, obtaining the Life Underwriters Association Training Certificate (LUATC), Associate in Customer Service (ACS) and Associate in Insurance Agency Administration (AIAA) designations, before becoming a Chartered Life Underwriter in 1998. In 2004 he obtained the Master in Business Administration (MBA) from UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados.

Today, our Hall of Fame Inductee focuses on enhancing marketing and service delivery in two (2) insurance agencies with which he is associated. Operating under the banner Diversified Life Solutions Belize Ltd., the agencies provide property, casualty, life, health and pension services to a diverse corporate and governmental clientele.

He is father of four (4) children, Karla, Andrew, Giselle and Adrianne, and grandfather of two (2) boys.

He has held effective leadership positions in community, church and civic organizations; Secretary, then President, of the Belize Cricket Association; President of the Council for Voluntary Social Services; and Treasurer on the Executive of the Belize Athletics Association. He has also served as a political activist for a period spanning sixteen (16) years. The work he did on the campaign trail bore the best fruits possible - the election of a deputy prime minister and a prime minister of Belize.

His unwavering support and invaluable contribution to his local association – BelAIFA - also earned him the CARAIFA President's Appreciation Award for 2014.

He loves listening to music of virtually every genre, enjoys boating and fishing, and is an ardent admirer of "all that is beautiful in God's creation". He embraces Christian religious ideals and worships at the St. John's Anglican Cathedral. He is also a member of the Prince Hall Masonic fraternity.

From sports, and from living, he has learned that when life bowls you "bouncers", you can play safe, and dodge, or you can face them -- and something great may happen.

As a result of his extraordinary contributions to enhancing the professional practice and image of life insurance practitioners throughout the Caribbean, it is CARAIFA's distinct pleasure, to induct into its Hall of Fame, Gilbert Andrew Harrison ("Harry") Pilgrim BA, CLU, MBA.

Patricia M. Gilding CLU, ChFC, FLMI - 2014

Pat Gilding is a 38-year veteran in life insurance sales in the Caribbean, earning the Industry's most prestigious awards, while giving pioneering service to the industry and her country. She became a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) in 1982, Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) in 1988, with a specialty in Pension Planning, and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) in 1999.

She is the only Life member of the Prestigious Million Dollar Round Table in her country, and is a 15 year Life and Qualifying Member of this association, (MDRT) which represents the top 6% of insurance advisors across the globe, with membership of more than 28,000 persons worldwide.

This senior Sagicor advisor came into the Industry in April 1974 as a sales representative. She joined Confederation Life Insurance Co in April 1975 and remained there until 1986, and she has been at Sagicor since 1986 when Life of Barbados, now Sagicor, took over Confederation Life.

A native of Barbados, she completed the certificate course at the Barbados Community College in Mutual Funds in 2002 and the Certificate of Proficiency in General Insurance from the Insurance Institute of Barbados in 2003. As one of the few Corporate Agents employed by Sagicor Life Inc, she continues to be a top producer. Her consistency earned her numerous awards, including the President's Trophy in 1998, 1999, 2006, 2007 and 2010.

While at Confederation Life, she was part of a team that negotiated with the Inland Revenue Department to allow small businesses (fewer than 10 employees) to have their own Company Pension Plans. Pat's insight on how she could help in this area was gleaned while studying for her Chartered Life Underwriter designation.

These plans were to be set up by using individual policies thereby negating the need for a trust deed as was required for large pension plans.

Putting her continuing education to good use, she is credited with being responsible for putting several small businesses on the "Revenue Map".

Our Hall of Fame inductee has served on the Board of Directors and the Educational Council of the Barbados Association of Financial Advisors (BARAIFA) - formerly known as the Life Underwriters Association of Barbados (LUAB). Here she has consistently won the Knight and Production Table and Star awards. To date, this feat has been repeated for 36 consecutive years.

She is an ardent supporter of CARAIFA congresses, attending 16 out of a possible 27. She served as the Magazine Committee Chair for CARAIFA'S 20th Annual Sales Congress held in Barbados and more recently as a mentor at CARAIFA'S 2013 Congress.

This Caribbean insurance industry stalwart loves orchids and includes the likes of Chalkdust, Black Stallin, Bob Marley and Byron Lee among her favourite artistes. She is a die-hard fan of West Indies Cricket and a Life Member of the Barbados Cricket Association.

Our 2014 CARAIFA Hall of Fame Inductee could justifiably claim as her own, a version of the proverbial "Golden Rule" that says: "He who has the gold makes the rules" but has chosen instead to live and be guided by the divinely inspired version that is fundamental, and even more precious than gold. It says: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

This mother of three and grandmother of ten is living a life that has been dedicated to family and clients, she has also sought to be "honest and true to self", sharing as she does, the philosophy of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, who said: "To thine own self be true. And it must follow as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man".

As a result of her remarkable contribution to the enhancement of the professional image of life insurance practitioners throughout the Caribbean region and her role in strengthening the aims and objectives of CARAIFA, it is CARAIFA's distinct pleasure to induct into its HALL OF FAME, Patricia M. Gilding CLU, ChFC, FLMI.

Frank Williamson ODLE - 2013

Frank Williamson Odle, an extraordinary Barbadian and a long standing member of the Barbados Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (BARAIFA) joined the Life Insurance Industry as a young and enthusiastic sales representative with Confederation Life in April 1972 after being a teacher of mathematics and science in secondary schools in Barbados and the United States of America.

He established and maintained himself as a top life insurance industry sales agent, one of his Company's top producers and soon rose through the ranks to become the Branch Manager with Life of Barbados Limited between 1992 and 2004, and was later appointed an Agency Manager with Sagicor Life Inc. He remained in that position until his entry into the Hugh Wooding Law School in September, 2007, to pursue his goal to practise law.

Frank exemplifies excellence by earning numerous company and industry awards during his distinguished insurance career. A multi-faceted man of many hats, Frank's service to his industry and his Association is nothing short of spectacular. His passion for his industry is recognised by his work as Deputy Congress Director for three (3) CARAIFA sales congresses hosted by Barbados.

His service on various committees allowed him to be involved in the revision of the Insurance Act, 1996, and the Occupational Pensions Benefits Act, 2003, as well as the Laws of Barbados. As an integral credit unionist, Frank Odle was elected to an interim Board which was mandated to manage the Barbados Teachers' Credit Union Limited, a Credit Union whose assets at the end of March, 2012 stood at BDS$70 million, during a period that threatened the survival of the Credit Union.

A Dale Carnegie Sales Talk Champion and news paper contributor, Frank has written and published many articles and papers on topics of insurance, financial and estate planning, and has presented numerous seminars and workshops on Financial Planning and Estate Planning in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Being associated with Sagicor and the highly successful law Firm of Carrington & Sealy, Frank's experience and skills have created a rare combination of educational, social, work and business experience which makes him stand out as one of the celebrated entrepreneurs of the local and Caribbean Insurance Industry.

He is a keen walker and enjoys hiking, swimming and water sports.

It is an honour and privilege to present Mr. Frank Williamson Odle, CARAIFA's Hall of Fame Inductee 2013!

Edward "Eddie" Balderamos - 2012

Edward Balderamos fondly known as Eddie joined the insurance industry forty years ago and has been a member of CARAIFA for Twenty Four (24) of those years.

In 1975 Eddie opened Jamaica Mutual Life in Belize and managed it successfully for six years accomplishing major and numerous awards. In 1981 he returned to the Cayman Islands to accept a position as an Insurance Broker he again effectively and efficiently carved a path that spiralled him into another firm where his tenure was for nine (9) years.

His entrepreneurial skills became evident when he opened Balderamos Insurance Services (Belize) Limited in 2008. Eddie has blazed a trail of service par excellence in the Life, Health, Property and Casualty business within the industry over the years with an unbeatable track record.

Education is one of the keys to success and Eddie propelled himself into this area of his career with the completion of several courses such as the LUATC course and LIMRA management courses. He garnered knowledge through seminars, congresses and kept abreast of emerging trends in the financial arena. This deep seated belief in Education made him the first Education Chair of the Life Underwriters Association of Cayman from that association's inception until 2005. Eddie was the first president of the Life Underwriters Association of Cayman (LUAC) and was the Treasurer for a protracted period of time. This unique and special individual was the Life Underwriters Association of Cayman (LUAC) representative on CARAIFA's board for many, many years giving yeoman's service to both associations simultaneously. This individual as a representative on CARAIFA's board paid his way to every single meeting from his pocket wherever in the Caribbean these meetings were held.

This is a true gentleman with a penchant for comedy with volunteerism and philanthropy as the centrality of his being. He gives back to his community in a tangible way by his involvement in the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman and anonymous donations to worthy causes. He is a platinum contributor to the CARAIFA foundation, not once but twice and counting. He is also a Past Vice President of the Belize Volunteer Blood Donor Service and Past Chair of the Cayman Islands Volunteer Blood Donor Service.

It is an honour and privilege to present this stalwart – Mr. Edward W. Balderamos, CARAIFA Hall of Fame inductee 2012.

Roy Sydney - 2012

Roy Sydney, a champion of a man, joined the insurance industry in 1959 with Confederation Life and was promoted to the position of Supervisor eight years after.

In 1977 he joined The Mutual team as a branch manager and twenty-two years after The Mutual purchased the Nationwide Insurance Company and he was then promoted to Chief Marketing Officer of that company. Change is a constant in our lives and so The Mutual was rebranded to the now well known Sagicor Life where Roy retired from management in2002 but continued on as a Senior Financial Advisor.

He has had a reputation for being a successful recruiter and branch manage during his tenure. Roy enrolled in continuous studies to keep relevant in this fast paced industry and this assisted him in maintaining his success record. He completed the Agency Management Training Course (AMTC), LIMRA Sales Management, Field Management Effectiveness and Agency Management, also the Dale Carnegie courses in Human Relations and Salesmanship to name a few.

The excessive motivation of the successful compelled him to include extra activities that would enhance his career further and allow him to give back to the community in a tangible way. Roy graduated as a volunteer income tax assistant with the Board of Inland Revenue of Trinidad and Tobago and also completed many other tax and sales courses including the LUATC which redounded to the benefit of his clients and agents. Being an accomplished gentleman with a strong sense of purpose and work ethic it is no surprise that he attained many awards, the CALU President Circle and Caribbean Quality Award, LUATT Awards and numerous company awards. He also qualified for the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table.

It is said that it is in giving that we are truly fulfilled and Roy demonstrated this by becoming a member of the Jaycees in 1967 and is currently an associate member. He was also a foundation member of TTAIFA (then LUATT) and served on the first congress committee of TTAIFA and moderated several LUATC courses. He represented LUATT at several CALU board and annual general meetings as an honorary member before LUATT became a member of CALU. He was the first LUATT board member to serve for ten consecutive years and continues to be an active member to this time.

In 1983 he became president of CALU, the first Trinidad & Tobago representative to hold such a position in the organization. Roy was instrumental in the formation of the CALU constitution and during his tenure as president worked assiduously in getting the territories on board CALU with particular emphasis on the struggling territories. This is a multi-faceted man who patented an auto sun shade in 1982 an invention that protects drivers and others from the direct rays of the sun – a driver's dream.

His hobbies include boating, fishing travelling (boat cruises) and card playing.

A man for all seasons, ladies and gentlemen it is an honour and privilege to present Mr. Roy Sydney, CARAIFA Hall of Fame Inductee 2012.

R. Danvers Williams, O.J., C.D., Hon. LL.D., J.P., CLU - 2011

R. Danvers (Danny) Williams has had a distinguished career in the life insurance industry spanning some 58 years. He is the Founder and Past President and Chief Executive Officer of Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited (formerly Life of Jamaica Limited), one of the largest life insurance companies in the West Indies.

His involvement with the industry dates back to 1953, when at the age of 18 years 9 months he joined North American Life Assurance Company, NALACO, as a salesman. Within 7 years, he was appointed Branch Manager for Jamaica and over the next decade, he guided the branch to the number one position in the company's international network.

A dedicated professional committed to the development of his country and with a zest for challenges, Danny Williams molded the branch as the nucleus for Life of Jamaica Limited, which he founded in 1970. He built the company that is today a respected and dynamic financial institution.

R. Danvers Williams is noted for his considerable service to the wider Jamaican community which has earned him the national honours of Commander of the Order of Distinction (1972) and the Order of Jamaica (1993). He served the Government of Jamaica for three years from 1977 to 1980 as a Senator, Minister of State and Minister of Industry and Commerce respectively. He was in 2005 conferred with the degree of Doctor of Laws (Hon) by the University of Technology. He has received many other honours and awards including the Observer Lifetime Achievement award, induction into the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Hall of Fame and the Caribbean Luminary Award by the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI).

He was President of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf for 10 years. He was also Chairman of the Jamaica Association for the Advancement of Literacy, JAMAL and the National Development Foundation of Jamaica as well as Vice President of the Jaycees of Jamaica and the West Indies Jaycees.

Mr. Williams currently serves on the boards of several major Jamaican companies, Organizations and Foundations, including Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited. He was appointed Director Emeritus of the Jamaica Broilers Group Limited in December 2008. He is the Chairman of the Alkali Group, Ravers Limited, Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited, Virginia Dare (Jamaica) Limited, Irish Town, Redlight & Middleton Community Development Association Ltd., Jamaica College and the Jamaica College Foundation.

Tommy James, CLU - 2011

He Joined the Life Insurance Industry in 1970 with Colonial Insurance Company of Jamaica after a 9 year military career, with the West India Regiment and Jamaica Defence Force. He left the Army as Intelligence Sergeant with a commendation for exemplary service and a recipient of the 1962 Jamaica Independence Medal. In 1973 he became the first person of Colonial Insurance Company of Jamaica in its then 36 year history to become a member of the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table and was that company's consistent Leading Salesman and subsequently Assistant Sales Manager.

He was elected as a Director of the Board of the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica, now JAIFA, in 1972 and served as President of the Association from 1979 to 1980. He introduced the Concept of ‘Association Member of the Year' to JAIFA while being Director of Awards & Recognition in 1972. This concept was implemented in 1973 with Oliver E. Jones and R. Danny Williams becoming the first recipients of the award. In 1976 he joined Island Life Insurance Company as a Unit Manager and Special Assistant to the President.

In 1983 he earned the Chartered Life Underwriter designation,CLU. He also served as Vice President of the Life Insurance Managers and General Agents Association, LIMGAA.

He has served as Sales Congress Director for four (4) successive and financially successful JAIFA Congresses, 1981 Opportunities Unbounded, 1983 The Power from Within, 1985 Succeed Against the Odds, and 1987 Determination to Achieve. He has played an active role on the organizing committee for every LUAJ/JAIFA, CARAIFA sales congress held in Jamaica since 1973. In 1981, he was selected as ‘Association Member of the Year for outstanding service to the association and enhancement of the public image of the insurance professional.

In 1985, he was one of the first two insurance professionals in Jamaica to be trained by the Life Insurance Management and Research Association (LIMRA) in Washington, USA as a moderator for the Agency Management Training Course. (The other was D.A Tony Williamson).

In 1991 he was appointed Director of Agencies for American Life (1991-1994) with responsibility for 12 Branches comprising over 24 Agency and Unit managers and 350 agents. In 1994 he was appointed Assistant Vice President Marketing at Life of Jamaica Limited, now Sagicor Life Jamaica. He served at Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited until his retirement from that company in 2006. He continues to serve the Industry and the wider community as a motivation consultant and training expert.

He has served as host for the Insurance Industry's "This Business of Insurance" weekly Radio Programme for over 11 years up to early 2008. He has also served as a Judge 1981-1987 and later as Chief Judge (1987-2010) of the Panel of Judges for the Miss Jamaica World Beauty Pageant. During his tenure Jamaica has enjoyed outstanding achievements in the Miss World International Pageants.

Amado F. Marcano, C.I.A.M.; C.L.F. - 2010

Amado has had a career in the Life Insurance Industry over 26 years from Rookie of the Year to Agent of the year 6 times; Unit Manager; Agency Manager; receipt of his country's Association (LUATT) Agency of the year title 6 times (including a hattrick), to Regional Branch Coordinator overseeing 4 agencies and 100 agents. He moved from his position as Branch Manager of The New Wave ZTs Branch, Guardian Life for a position as a management sales consultant with Guardian Holdings.

A Chartered Insurance Agency Manager (CIAM) and Chartered Leadership fellow (CLF) from American College/LIMRA. His insurance career began in September 1984 at Crown Life (Caribbean) Ltd which spanned over 7 years until the merger with Guardian Life (Caribbean) Ltd in 1991 when he became a Unit Manager and then Branch Manager in the same year. He has received most company and industry production awards and is a Million Dollar Round Table member.

He is an active member of Trinidad and Tobago Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (TTAIFA) and served on the board from 1986 – 2002. He also served as President 1997/1998 and was Congress Director for "CRESCENDO" LUATT Sales Congress 1999. He served as Planning and Development Director with responsibility for the Strategic Plan 1999 –2004 of CARAIFA and was appointed their President in May 2004 to 2006.

His motto "Honest and intelligent effort is always rewarded". He is a recreational cyclist and is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys photography.

Owen Thompson (posthumously) - 2010

When the late Owen George Thompson joined the former Jamaica Mutual Life Assurance Society in 1970, his mission was to make a significant mark in the Life Insurance Industry and that he did. He quickly "found his feet" and became a top producer very early in his career, qualifying as a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) in successive years and by 1977 was heralded as a Life Member of MDRT. Owen's production and leadership skills quickly propelled him from being Agent to Unit Manager and later Branch Manager at Barry Street.

Early in his career Owen became a very active member of the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica (LUAJ), now Jamaica Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (JAIFA). His interest in education and his early training was quickly put to work within the industry and by 1976 he was appointed Chairman of the Education Council. Owen recognized that education would advance the professionalism within the industry, when he posited that "it seems that a great many consumer problems faced by the Life Insurance Industry would be resolved if more agents were CLU's".

By 1977 Owen Thompson was elected to the Board of Directors of LUAJ. It was in that year also, that through his instrumentality a new chapter in the history of regional cooperation was written, when Caribbean Association of Life Underwriters (CALU), now Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA) was established. At the inaugural meeting of the Association at the Guyana Pegasus Hotel, his passion for education earned Owen Thompson the elected position as Chairman of the Educational Council on a Board of Directors headed by President Lincoln Morrison. Through this position he was instrumental in revolutionizing many aspects of the training programmes for the industry throughout the Caribbean region.

Owen was elected President of JAIFA in 1981 and during his tenure the Association successfully celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary in early 1982. The renovation of JAIFA's Headquarters, at 72 Hope Road, Kingston was another priority for his administration.

His interest in the advancement of the Life insurance industry caused Owen to be elected President of CARAIFA. 1979-1982. That year he demonstrated his interest in Caribbean unity when he hailed "the convergence of our brothers and sisters from neighbouring and distantCaribbean Territories on Jamaica" at LUAJ's Sales Congress. He was to serve another term as President of CARAIFA 1984 – 1985.

Owen Thompson was not insular. He had a strong commitment to public and social service through the North St. Catherine Jaycees and the Lions Club. The pride of his private world was his wife, Jean, his three children and extended family members. He also formed and maintained lifelong friendships within and outside of the industry.

Owen was a man who reached for the stars in everything he did. He served the Life Insurance industry through JAIFA and CARAIFA with sincerity and definiteness of purpose. As a result of his impact on the industry and his outstanding performance as a Life Insurance Professional CARAIFA is pleased to admit the late Owen George Thompson CLU to the CARAIFA Hall of Fame.

Nathaniel Wiltshire - 2009

He is an industry veteran and leader of one of the leading branches of Guardian Life of the Caribbean Limited, headquartered in Trinidad & Tobago. W. Nathaniel Wiltshire was recently elected to the position of President of the Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers (CARAIFA) formerly CALU.

Wiltshire, a past top producer, and a five-time top Branch Manager for his company, is well-known within the insurance industry locally and internationally and is in fact a Past President of the Life Underwriters' Association of Trinidad & Tobago (LUATT).

One of Wiltshire's major undertakings has been that of promoting a revival of interest in Caribbean countries where membership had lapsed.

Wiltshire has in addition, been personally welcomed by the President of the International WHO's WHO of Professionals, Mr. Terrence J. Leifheit, as the newest member to join this prestigious organisation.

Keith King - 2009

Keith King is the General Manager/CEO of British American Insurance Co. (B'dos) Ltd. since 1995. He was recently appointed to the position of Assistant Vice-President, Marketing British American Insurance Company Limited with special responsibilities for the Netherland Antilles and Aruba.

Prior to these positions, Mr. King was Marketing Manager, Agency Manager and Salesman with British American insurance Co. (B'dos) Ltd. over a period of 20 years. He has also worked with CLICO Life Insurance Company and American Life Insurance Company as Agency Manager and Data Craft as Senior Production Supervisor prior to his joining the Insurance Industry.

Mr. King has, over the many years in management gained several awards and academic qualifications. He holds a Diploma in Management from Henley Management College. U. K, the Executive Diploma in Management from the UWI, Graduate in Agency Management from the Life Insurance Marketing & Research Association Inc. (LIMRA), and Management of Human Resources from the Barbados Institute of Management & Productivity (BIMAP) along with several other Insurance Industry qualifications.

He is the past president of still a member of the Life Underwriters Association of Barbados - now knows as the Barbados Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (BARAIFA) and Past President of the Caribbean Association of Life Underwriters now CARAIFA.

He is the recipient of several industry awards like the Production, Star and Quality Awards as well as the prestigious Fulmerfelt Award in 1985.

He is a member of the Board of the Western Light Church of the Nazarene, the Rotary Club of Barbados South, Treasurer of the Board of Directors or the International Christain Chamber of Commerce-Barbados, Founding Board Member of the Family Heartbeat Ministries etc

He is married to Cecily for over 30 years and is the proud father of Kerry and Keisha.

D.A. "Tony" Williamson, CLU, ChFC, J.P. - 2009

Tony Williamson is an honours graduate of the University of the West Indies and entered the life insurance industry in September 1969. He has qualified for all the industry's local and international awards and is a chartered life underwriter and a chartered financial consultant. A former president of the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica (LUAJ, now JAIFA), Mr. Williamson enjoys a unique blend of industry experience having been a top-flight salesman and president and CEO of Crown Eagle Insurance Company, under whose leadership that company increased its sales by 350% between 1990 – 1992.

A two-time winner of the LUAJ Member of the Year award, Mr. Williamson was the first local insurance agent to be a speaker at the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). He has recently retired as vice president, distribution, NCB Insurance Company. A thirty-eight (38) year life member of the MDRT, he is only one of a handful of Caribbean agents to make the MDRT Top of the Table, which he did in 2002 and again in 2007.

Mr. Williamson is well known internationally for his strong motivational talks around the world. He has been a main platform speaker on two separate occasions in Singapore and has spoken extensively in the U.S.A., South America and the Caribbean. He writes the popular "Dollar For Your Thoughts" weekly motivational column for the Daily Gleaner.

A Justice of the Peace, Tony is the Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Uruguay, and former Deputy Chairman of the Airports Authority of Jamaica. He is an elder and Bible teacher in his church. He has authored two books and is completing a third.

Tony and his wife Jean manage a health and wellness nutritional programme across the Caribbean, Africa, the U.K. and the USA.

Tony will retire from life insurance in September this year which will complete exactly forty years in the industry.

He is married with three adult children.

  • Consolidated localization of CLU and LUATC courses.
  • Established the Insurance Employees Co-Op Credit Union, Spearheaded by Gladstone Pottinger. IECCU offices were at the LUAJ Headquarters.
  • Donated a bus to the Jamaica Table Tennis Association which was experiencing transportation problems.
  • A successful Congress - "Achievement by objectives" was held at Mallards Beach-Hyatt Hotel Ocho Rios, April 24-29, 1977.

Oliver E. Jones - 2008

Oliver E. Jones has enjoyed the sort of career thus far that, in this era of wavering and instability, can only be described as extraordinary. Over the past five decades, Mr. Jones has risen through the ranks of life insurance, beginning as a salesman with Manufacturers Life in 1953 to his current position as Chairman of Zenith Insurance Brokers. He has served as President of the Jamaica Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (JAIFA) as well as the Insurance Association of Jamaica (IAJ).

In addition, Mr. Jones spearheaded the information of the Island Life Insurance Company, thereby acquiring the Manulife portfolio in Jamaica and absorbing the Dominion Life's Jamaica operations into Island Life for which he served as President and CEO as well as Chairman of the Board. With all of these accolades, it is easy to understand why he was JAIFA's first joint-selectee for that Association's Man of the Year Award in 1973 and more recently, the Jamaica Institute of Management's Most Outstanding Manager of the Year Award in 1993. But his accomplishments have been hard-won and accompanied by a fair share of setbacks, which were always met with deep rooted tenacity and conviction. "There are no big problems in the world", Mr. Jones has said, "only an amalgam of micro problems left uncared for. The key is to deal with issues, no matter their size, as soon as they happen."

Mr. Jones has also shown great success outside the world of insurance as chairman of both the Banana Company of Jamaica (1978 to 1980) and the National Housing Trust (1980 to 1989). But perhaps more important to this profile of a man who has weathered some of the life insurance industry's stormiest years are the forces that lie behind his incredible success. Among them, you'll find the traits that usually mark the world's most successful individuals: integrity, discipline, drive, and an ability to take control of the present while always managing to look ahead to the future. Of no little help were his humble beginnings as one of twelve children in a small St. Elizabeth district. Some would say that it was there that his trademark qualities of determination and persistence took root and also where his career as a salesman really began- selling his own garlic and tomatoes to local markets (the profits from which he used to pay for his first term at Excelsior High School in Kingston). But none of these can compare to what Oliver Jones points to as his greatest source of pride. That is his family-his wife, Sonia and two sons, Stewart and Lawrence. "When I started out in this business, it was to reach the top of my career", says Mr. Jones. "That was my only focus until my children came. Whatever happens to me will never be as important as the future of my children."

With every position that he has held, including those of President of Excelsior's Old Student Association and the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Kingston, Jones has acted in a way that would make his family proud. And their achievements, in turn, have been his greatest pride.

So to look at Oliver E. Jones is not to look at a recipient of the National Honour of Commander of Distinction (CD) or even someone who has spent a great portion of his life dedicated to public service. One needs to see him the way he has come to see himself: as a father, son, husband and friend. For him, the person that he is in his family life and business life are inseparable. His achievements and continued success is not a solo project - no true success story ever is.

Antoinette P. Thompson (posthumously) - 2008

In 2007, the Insurance Fraternity said a sad farewell to Antoinette P. Thompson, one of the most innovative and stalwart women the insurance world has seen. It may come as a surprise then to learn that Mrs. Thompson's career began elsewhere—in banking—and only turned to insurance after much persuasion to serve one of The Barbados Mutual's agencies as a manager for just over ten years.

Her career spanned a period of almost six decades and featured numerous production, quality and star awards for her contributions to the local insurance industry and several international quality awards. It was also marked by a steady attention to education as well as personal and professional development which led her to conceive of the initiative to have the Introduction to Life Underwriting Course as the examination for licensing in Barbados in addition to producing the 5 Year Development Plan for educational and professional development in the Region. Her dedication was rewarded with the professional designations of Associate in Customer Service (ACS) and Insurance Agency Administration (IAA) as well as Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI). In addition, she held the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (CH.F.C.) designations. She also gained the Barbados Stock Exchange Mutual Funds Certificate.

For some, Antoinette Thompson's accomplishments appear even greater when one considers that she became a widow at the age of thirty and raised two daughters who have gone on to incredible success of their own—Nicole is an orthodontist practicing in Houston, Texas and Simone is a mechanical engineer specializing in manufacturing at General Motors Corporation in Detroit, Michigan. Mrs. Thompson certainly proved more than apt as a model of what a woman can achieve in business and life in general. In 1988, she became the first winner of the Young Career Women's Competition sponsored by the Barbados Business and Professional Women's Club; and was a member of the Board of the Life Underwriters of Barbados (LUAB) for fourteen years, becoming its president for three consecutive years beginning in 1989. In addition, she served on the Board of the Caribbean Association of Life Underwriters (CALU, now CARAIFA), reaching the office of Assistant Vice President and was a founding member of its Education Management Committee.

Mrs. Thompson enjoyed success outside of insurance as a resolute advocate, convincing the Government of Barbados to choose the LUAB to sit on the Economic Consultative Council advising government on strategies to stabilize the economy.

During her stint in the Senate, she persuaded government to review the Social Security Scheme via national broadcast and campaigned to have non-contributory pensioners removed from the National Insurance Fund and paid from the Consolidated Fund.

Though she is dearly missed, her many achievements have left an indelible impression, not only on those who had the pleasure of knowing and working with her, but those who are now making their way to and through an industry that was only made better by Antoinette Thompson.

Gladstone K. Pottinger - 2007

Gladstone K. Pottinger began his working career as a Field Bookkeeper on St. Mary's largest sugar cane and banana plantation and within a short period became the deputy Field Superintendent. In 1966 he started his full time career as a Life Insurance Executive. He next spent (30) years of service in the Industry starting as a Salesman, and resigning as a Vice President. His distinguished academic and leadership record led him to establish his own career training and development service where he developed several different training courses for salesmen, administrative staff in the Banking and Financial Services and some management programmes.

He has been involved with organizations both as founder and CEO a sure testament for his ability to create value and provide service. Mr Pottinger has received several accolades from the various organizations in which he has served. Earning the distinguished Salesman Award, the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica "Industry Man of the year and in 1994 he was made a Life Member of that Association. Mr. Pottinger married Hermine Violet –Nee Willock in 1957 and the union produced three children-and Four Grandchildren.

Curtis R. Tonge - 2007

Robert Curtis Todwell Tonge was born May 16th 1942 in Antigua. A Graduate of the Antigua Grammar School and a recipient of the Cambridge School Certificate in 1959 and the Cambridge Higher School Certificate in 1961. He has also completed the Limra Unit Managers Course. Mr. Tonge, began his employment in the public service in Antigua. He then joined American Life Insurance as an agent in Antigua. In 1966, he was sent to Dominica as an agent for ALICO and in 1968 he was appointed as Agency Manager for ALICO in Dominica, a position he held for 19 years. He was elevated to General Agent for American Home in 1971. Mr. Tonge has held numerous executive positions in the region those include Chairman/CEO Insurance Consultant Ltd., Tonge Incorporated, Leisureland development Ltd. and First Domestic Insurance Company Ltd. and Perky's Pizza in Dominica, Grenada, Antigua and St. Vincent.

Mr. Tonge's mantelpiece is way too small to accommodate the many, many awards and accolades that he has amassed over the years. Among those are Leading Agency over Quota for the Caribbean Region for ALICO in 1971, Top Managers Award for the Caribbean for ALICO in 1975, Personal Portfolio Award (US $5,000,000.00) for ALICO in 1983, Prestigious Gold Cup Award for Life of Barbados in 1994, Manager of the year for the Caribbean Region for Life of Barbados (Antigua) in 1997.

He founded his own company in 1993, First Domestic Insurance Company Ltd., Dominica's' first and only indigenous Insurance Company. Over the years, First Domestic, under the leadership of Mr. Tonge has enjoyed a steady growth and has been established as one of the leading Insurance Companies in Dominica.

Mr. Tonge has been married for 37 years to Mrs. Valentine and is the father of four children.

Mrs. Marcelle Fenton CLU, ChFC, FLMI, MBA - 2006

She is a fellow of the Life Management Institute (F.L.M. I), a Chartered Life Underwriter (C.L.U), a Chartered Financial Consultant (CH.F.C), a Life Underwriters Training Council Fellow (LUTCF), a certified teacher of English and Mathematics, with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences with language and literature from the University of the West Indies, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Nova South-eastern University.

She joined the Life Insurance Industry in 1983, moved through the ranks from Sales Agent to Unit Manager to Branch Manager and now she is a Regional Director with NCB Insurance Company in Jamaica. She has been awarded most company and Industry Awards in her illustrious career, qualified for Million Dollar Round Table on several occasions and she copped the prestigious award of 'Man of the Year' from the Life Underwriter's Association of Jamaica for the year 2000. She is a Past President of CARAIFA and currently holds the position of Secretary General of CARAIFA; she was the first female to hold either of the two positions. More recently, she was awarded a distinguished position in CARAIFA's Hall of Fame, being one of two recepients to receive the 2006 Hall of Fame award.

She copped the boss of the year award for Jamaica in 1995 awarded by the Secretary's Association of Jamaica and has been a motivational speaker in many Caribbean Islands including Jamaica, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Grenada, St. Vincent inter alia.

She has taught for over fourteen (14) years at the secondary and tertiary levels including Church Teachers College and the Management Institute for National Development (MIND).

She has been a Rotarian for the last six years and was the first female President of her club in 2003 to 2003.

She is married with two children and lives by the motto and guiding principle ‘Justice and fair play for all mankind.

Shirley C Clarke - 2006

CARAIFA is pleased to announce the selection of Charted Life Underwriter Mrs. Shirley C. Clarke of Barbados for induction to its Hall of Fame. Shirley has been in the business of life insurance for 34 years, having served as a Unit and then Agency Manager in Sagicor Life and its heritage company, Life of Barbados, for almost 22 years until her retirement from the position at the end of last year. She continues to serve as consultant to the new Agency Manager for a period of time, and has stated her intention to be involved with her clients indefinitely.

Shirley was born in Bermuda where she received her education up to secondary level leaving to attend the City of Westminster College in London, England where she spent three years in further studies. Because of marriage to a Barbadian she eventually made her home in Barbados. After some years, and a heavy dose of persuasion by practicing personnel, she was recruited by the Life of Barbados on April 1, 1972 to the business of life insurance and states that despite initial reluctance it was one of the best decisions of her life.

Prior to joining the business of life insurance, Shirley had varied work experiences with a number of entities. These included positions in Bermuda with the General Post Office, the Bank of Bermuda (Trust Dept) and with John Swan Ltd. as a consultant in real estate rentals. In London, she spent three years as a Secretary at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, and in Barbados, before what she terms as "her happy coincidence with life insurance", she served as assistant manager at a small family-owned hotel and also as a travel consultant with Gardiner Austin Travel. Shirley has had an outstanding career in the life insurance business. To achieve this her engaging personality and dedication had been strengthened over the years by her continuing professional studies and exposure to many courses and seminars at the local, regional and international levels. Her professional studies have included involvement over time he following:

 

  • LUATC Graduate (Life Underwriters framing Course)
  • CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter)
  • AMTC (Agency Management Training Course)
  • B'DOS Fire & General (Sagicor Heritage) Course in General Insurance
  • LIM RA‑Managing Financial Advisors Certificate
  • Mutual Funds Certificate (Barbados Community College)

 

When in the early years after she joined the life insurance business the dormant Life Insurance Association of Barbados (LUAB now BARAIFA) was resuscitated, Shirley immediately involved herself. She was elected to the Board and in consecutive years served as Chairman of Programmes, Chairman of By‑Laws and Legislation and Chairman of Public Relations and Publicity, before being elected as the Association's first female President in 1977. During her term as President and with the formation of the Caribbean Association of Life Underwriters (CALU now CARIFA) she spearheaded the negotiations for the accession of the Barbados Association to the umbrella body. In later years she had conferred on her an award as Life Member of LUAB, as well as an award of appreciation from CALU.

For her personal performance over the years Shirley has received numerous company awards in the gold, diamond and emerald categories. From the industry, she was recognized by LUAB in 1977 by selection for the Flumerfelt Award as an outstanding life underwriter, and between 1977 and 1987 she received national quality‑ awards from the Life Underwriters Association of Canada.

Along with the late Mertilla Coulthrust, Shirley was one of only two females appointed Agency Manager by her company, and after Mertilla's death in 1990 she had remained the sole female Agency Manager at Sagicor Life (Barbados) and its heritage company, Life of Barbados. Her Agency held the record for most frequently receiving the coveted President's Gold Cup as Leading Agency for the year. In the process of her career in life insurance she qualified for the MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table) and the WLRT (The Women Leaders Round Table).

In community service, Shirley has been a member of the Soroptimist Club of Barbados, and in recent years a friend of the Club. She has been a member of the Council of the St. James Parish Church (Anglican) and still functions as a member of the Church's Fund Raising Committee. She has been for a number of years a member of the Board of Management of the St. Leonard's Boys' (Secondary) School. A cricket enthusiast, she is a life member of the Barbados Cricket Association.

Shirley enjoys traveling and has traveled relatively widely. She is also fond of listening to a wide variety of music, and enjoys photography. Her hobbies include art and stamp collecting.

Married to Cecil Clarke, a former Permanent Secretary and retired banker in Barbados, they are the parents of Deborah Lee who resides in Bermuda with her husband, Stanley Lee, and their two grand children, Andrew and Teresa.

Alvin Alexander - 2005

Mr. Alexander began his career in the insurance industry in London in 1976. On his return to Trinidad and Tobago he operated in the capacity of Agent, Unit Manager and Branch Manager where he was responsible for leading his Branch to achieve the Unit/Branch of the Year Award for five (5) years and also Rookie of the year on five (5) occasions. In 1995 Alvin Alexander joined ALGICO as Agency Director and was promoted to Regional Agency Director for the Caribbean Region in 2000. Mr. Alexander is With responsibility responsible for the agency operations, sales, marketing and corporate communications in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, The Eastern Caribbean Islands, The Cayman Islands and the Netherlands Antilles. He also forms part of a matrix reporting system with responsibilities to AIG's Senior Vice President, Marketing and Distribution. This matrix reporting requires him to contribute to policy formation at ALICO's head office on agency matters for the ALICO world.

In 2004 his career growth continued when he was promoted to Senior Vice President and appointed as a Director on Algico's Board of Directors. He has been a member of the local insurance industry for 23 years. A certified Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Mr. Alexander continues to share his knowledge and experience with his colleagues. This he has demonstrated through his involvement as a moderator for the Agency Managers Training Program (AMTC) which is administered to agency and branch managers on behalf of the Agency Managers Training Council, for the Life Insurance Marketing Research Institute (LIMRA) and the Life Underwriters Training Course for agents administered by LUATT for the Canadian Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CAIFA).

In 1998 he was inducted into the LUATT Hall of Fame, an award which is presented to an Insurance professional with a track record of excellent sales and sales management experience; outstanding contributions to the Insurance Industry, a combination of Outstanding Sales and Academic Achievements, and a history of the highest Ethical Standards as endorsed by LUATT's Ethics Committee and the Office of the Supervisor of Insurance.

Michael Fraser - 2005

Michael Fraser was educated at Jamaica College where he graduated with a Senior Cambridge Certificate in 1961.

Mr. Fraser entered the Life Insurance business as a Sales Representative in 1962 at the age of 19 with Jamaica Mutual Assurance Society. In January 1964 he joined North American Life Assurance Co, Ltd. (later to become Life of Jamaica Limited) and quickly established himself as one of their leading producers. He qualified for the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968. Mr. Fraser entered sales management as a Unit Manager in 1966 and then became a Branch Manager in 1967.

During this period Mr. Fraser pursued his Insurance career by studying and passing the two (2) primary Industry courses at the time - The Life Underwriters Training Course (LUATC) and the Chattered Life Underwriters degree (C.L.U.). An active Industry Association man, Mr. Fraser served on the board for the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica and became the Association's President in 1972-73.

Mr. Fraser migrated to Toronto, Canada in early 1977 with his wife and four children. He joined North American Life Insurance Company as Assistant Branch Manager in April 1977 and became Branch Manager in December of that same year. Mr. Fraser remained with North American Life as the Company's West Indian Branch Manager until he returned to Jamaica in 1982 to take up the position as Vice President Marketing at Life of Jamaica Limited.

Mr. Fraser was appointed Senior Vice President with responsibility for the Individual Life Division in 1987. He attended the Western Executive Business Programme at the University of Western Ontario in 1987. In June 1999, Mr. Fraser was voted "Association Man of the Year" at the Life Underwriters Association's Annual Awards.

Mr. Fraser resigned his position at the end of January 2000 as Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing at Life of Jamaica to accept the position of President and C.E.O. at Island Life Insurance Co. Ltd. effective February 1, 2000.

Mr. Fraser is Vice Chairman of the Jamaica Cancer Society and is a Justice of the Peace. He is married and has four children. His hobbies are bird shooting and golf.

Earl Moore - 2004

Mr. Earl Moore is married with five children and is of Jamaican heritage. His professional and business history is extensive.

Looking back in time Mr. Moore entered the industry in 1968 where he was worked with The Jamaica Mutual Life Assurance Society as Supervisor for Group & Pension until 1970. He moved through the years from a Life Underwriter with Mutual Life to a Unit Manager in 1975, then Branch Manager in 1978. A position that he held for 10 years before being made an Executive Branch Manager for the next 3 years.

In 1991, Mr. Moore became the Assistant Vice President Sales and Marketing of Mutual Life and moved to actual Vice President in 1992, a position he held for four years from 1992 to May 1996.

From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Moore was President of Firm Insurance Brokers and then Vice President Sales and Marketing for Guardian Holding Ltd from December 1998 to July 1999. From August 1999 to present he has been the President and CEO of Guardian Life in Jamaica.

Mr. Moore's educational achievements have honed his management as well as industry skills.

He holds an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies; has industry training in the Life Underwriting and holds such designations as: Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI). He has attended many certificate courses with Life Insurance Marketing & Research Association (LIMRA) and holds a certificate from Harvard Business School in Competition & Strategy.

Throughout his years of service and management in the industry he has been awarded for his contributions by various institutions. He has received numerous production awards such as: Salesman of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Qualifier for the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). As a manager he has been recognized with such awards as the Master Branch award and the National Management award. For contributions to the industry he was named the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica (LUAJ) Member of the year for 1993.

Mr. Moore continues to have a lot of industry and community involvement and in 2004 he was appointed Justice of the Peace, St. Andrew.

Some of the positions he has held over the years include, Director of The Institute for Theological and Leadership Development; Director, American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM); Director Insurance Association of Caribbean (IAC); President, Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica (LUAJ); Director, Caribbean Association of Life Underwriters (CALU, as we were formerly known); Vice President, Life Insurance Manager & General Agents Association (LIMGAA). Currently he is the President of the Life Insurance Company Association (LICA) in Jamaica.

Chester John - 2004

Chester joined the Insurance Industry in 1968. He worked as a Sales Representative for American Life Insurance Company of Delaware, Welmington, in Grenada for seven (7) years before leaving to take up a managing appointment with a small General Insurance Company in St. Vincent.

As a true industry man, he has climbed the ladder through the various companies, held positions on the Board of various industry Associations, while achieving various accolades throughout the years.

In 1976 Mr. John was appointed Manager of Colonial Life Insurance Co. (T'dad) Limited and in 1981 he became Manager of both the Grenada and St. Vincent operations.

Mr. John incorporated the Chester John Agencies Limited of which he is the current Managing Director in 1988 and he was also a former Director of the Grenada Bank of Commerce and served that institution for 5 years from 1984‑1990.

He served as Chairman of the National Insurance Board from 1990 to 1995.

He is the Chairman of Colonial Life Development Company (G'da) Ltd. This is a Company that manages and develops Real Estate Properties in Grenada.

Chester's achievements in the Life Insurance Business are exemplary. He is currently the president of CLICO's Leaders Club for Barbados and Eastern Caribbean a position held over the last 10 years. This position is held by the person writing the greatest amount of Business in any year, among all the Representatives.

Chester has the distinction to be a qualifying and Life member for 12 years of the Prestigious Million Dollar Round Table. He qualified for Court of the Table in 1999 and top of the table in 2000, 2001, 2002 Area Chair of M.D.R.T communication committee. From 1999 ‑ 2002 He has been a member of the Caribbean President Circle.

In 1989 & 1996 Chester was the first person ever to receive the award from the Association of Grenada Insurance Companies for the person contributing the most to the Insurance Industry in Grenada. He holds several certificates from LIMRA in Agency Management and profitable Agency Management and has qualified for every company award and convention since 1976.

Chester was invited in 1998 and 1999 to file application to International W.H.O is W.H.O Professionals.