Marcia Fletcher is heading off to London, UK in March on a reported three year assignment to head up the Victoria Mutual (VMBS) operations. Fletcher who was previously a Vice President at NCB Insurance will oversee the three offices – London, Manchester and Birmingham, as Head of UK Operations operating from the London office. The UK, widely regarded as the strong hold of Jamaica National (JN) will have the 130 year old Victoria Mutual securing its base among the first generation of Jamaicans who went to the UK in the 50’s and 60’s, while building new relationships with their second and third generation off springs in a bold attempt to wrestle market share from JN.

Gerald Anthony Reid Wight has joined First-Caribbean Jamaica as director of corporate banking, a slot that became vacant after Clovis Metcalfe was named head of the bank. Wight has worked in finance for 15 years, the last three of which were with National Commercial Bank. His appointment was effective January 23.

Dave Myrie, who joined the GraceKennedy group in 2007, has been promoted to chief operating officer/deputy CEO of Hardware and Lumber Limited. The appointment, which took effect January 1, makes Myrie second in charge behind H&L head, Anthony Holness and a possible successor.

Paul Hanworth was appointed director of the Jamaica Property Company Limited effective January 29. JPC is a subsidiary of First Jamaica Investments Limited, which is controlled by the Facey family.

Courtney Campbell is to take on a bigger role inside the GraceKennedy group as chief executive officer of GK Investment. The appointment becomes effective February 1. Campbell, recruited last year from National Commercial Bank, joined the most senior company officials in Grace-Kennedy Limited as a member of the GK Executive Committee. Campbell, the new chief executive officer of GK Holdings Limited, established by Grace-Kennedy to hold its assets in First Global, was appointed to the committee by group CEO and Chairman Douglas Orane.

Guardian Holdings Limited, an insurance conglomerate headquartered in Trinidad, has appointed a new chief executive officer, Jeffrey Mack, who took up office January 1.

Steven Gooden, general manager of Pan Caribbean Asset Management Limited, has resigned after more than two years in the position. According to sources Gooden will be joining NCB Capital Markets, which has been recruiting talent having lost a number of its senior staff in the past year or two. The Chris Williams led NCB Capital Markets, which is the wealth management arm of NCB, is strengthening its investment management functions. Williams admitted that the company was a bit thin at senior management level, which caught the attention of ratings agencies, which in NCBCM’s last credit review, pointed to it as a weakness in the operation. Steven Gooden is presumed to be the new vice-president of investment and training who will take up his position in April. Williams at the same time will be restructuring the office of chief operating officer and shifting the functions to other areas within the group. The new VP recruit is replacement for Karlene Bailey who resigned as VP-investments last October. Gooden is the second member of Pan Caribbean executive management team to exit the company since last year. In October 2008, Henry Pratt, managing director of the newly-formed Pan Caribbean Bank Limited, resigned leaving the three-month-old operation that he helped transition from a merchant bank to a commercial bank.