Old Harbour’s Emile Spence is new interim head of JN Bank Canada

Spence, who has served the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) in several capacities in 37 years of sterling service, says strengthening the relationship with the bank’s customers in Canada will be a priority for him. 

“There are several strategic goals, which I will be striving to implement over the course of the next few months. Among those plans is to continue to build stronger relations with members of the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada and to empower members of the community to make sound financial decisions, as they strive to build their wealth,” said Spence.

“The JN Group is a diverse group, with a suite of financial products and services that we want to push into the marketplace to expand our business and to forge stronger relationships with our stakeholders in Canada.”

As a senior executive, Spence has played a crucial role in the growth of the bank’s overseas portfolio particularly in the establishment of JNBS representative offices in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada, and the expansion of its remittance service, JN International Money Transfer.

As for his newest challenge, he said products and service delivery will be key factors in expanding the company’s growth in the North American country.

“As we move forward in 2019, The Jamaica National Group will continue on its mission to provide our members and customers with access to financial products and services to achieve their potential,” he said. “We will continue to make available our expanded range of options to finance home and property purchases, and importantly, to stay committed to our promise to significantly reduce the time it normally takes to receive mortgage financing.”

Spence, who also serve on several private and government boards and operates a farm in Old Harbour, added: “Our team remains committed to the Canadian Diaspora and will continue to support Jamaicans in Canada as we have done throughout the years. Some of the initiatives we will be supporting include Camp Jumoke, an organisation dedicated to enriching the lives of children living with Sickle Cell Disease; the Wolmers’ Past Students’ Association and the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf.

“We will also be increasing our level of activity in the Canadian market through increased mortgage conversations; annual community fora; members’ meetings and the Jamaica Diaspora Conference, which will take place in June in Kingston, Jamaica. We look forward to seeing you at these events, as we showcase critical Jamaican services and real estate opportunities.”