A Conversation with our Group President & CEO, Courtney Campbell
Group President & CEO, Courtney Campbell, joined the VM Group in 2016 with decades of leadership experience in the banking industry and undeniable passion for purpose. In the years since, he has lead the VM Group on a transformative path, earning the trust of our Membership to expand our products and services, cement our commitment to Mutuality and ultimately transform the VM brand.
As the VM family reflects on 144 years of giving back, our President & CEO took the time to share his perspectives on a range of topics.
- What are your thoughts on how VM is “Empowering the Transformation of a Nation”?
We are committed to transforming the lives of our members and clients and the public in general, through our focus on providing Financial Education as a means of empowering them to make informed financial decisions to improve their status in life, not only for themselves, but for their families and loved ones for generations to come. We do this through one and one interaction with our Members, as well as through our various Financial Education sessions, such as seminars, webinars, podcasts, expos etc. which are held throughout the year and which we have been doing for several years now. These sessions address areas such as building positive savings habits, homeownership, wealth creation, the importance of having a pension, and a host of topics relevant to helping persons achieve financial well-being at every stage in their lifecycle.
We are also committed to community development and is focused on cultivating meaningful youth participation in our financial systems.
- What is the single most important function of a building society in today’s turbulent economic conditions?
We continue satisfying the needs of our members by providing best-in-class service, complimented by a focus on making these services affordable. We are also focused on providing support to those members facing challenges. This is particularly important given the challenges that we have faced with COVID 19 and since then, rising loan interest rates and inflation.
- What has made and continues to make VM a market leader in terms of great customer friendly experiences and improved business efficiencies?
We are blessed to have a very dedicated and committed team working here at VM and we have a culture that actively promotes Customer Obsession, which means that everything we do is based on our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our Members and Clients at all our service points.
VM dominates the market, leading on real estate mortgage loans and low or no fees product and service offerings that put our customers centre stage in advancing their financial well-being.
We embrace the voice of the customer, taking customer feedback about their experiences with and expectations for our products or services into the heart of everything we do, including the policies, processes and procedures that support them.
- The days of a limited online and mobile presence are gone. Societies must combine their core strengths of mutuality and trust with increased digital capabilities. To this end: Are building societies embracing digital transformation fast enough in Jamaica?
The proliferation of online and mobile capabilities have placed us squarely in an arena where these capabilities are now the instruments used to battle for the business of clients and customers. VM’s digital strategy has as its driver, giving our members an exceptional customer experience at its digital channels. The benefits of mutuality and trust, coupled with this vision, we believe, will set us apart in terms of service to our members.
As a Mutual organisation offering banking, pension, wealth and money transfer services, VM continues to be amongst the best in class financial institution, embracing digital technologies such as video and online banking, self-service kiosks and direct-to-account product offerings for improved customer service. We are meanwhile, committed to continuous improvement to enable the integration of digital technologies and data sharing across FIs for our mutual benefit and in a manner that fundamentally changes how we operate and deliver value to the customer.
- How is VM ideally placed to lead digital transformation through its highly motivated and trained teams?
The focus of Digital transformation is not just around the implementation of cutting-edge technology to meet the changing needs of our customers and organisations. Digital transformation from the perspective of people/teams requires organisations to invest in building the resilience of the team to respond in times of uncertainty. The VM Group has placed great focus on the motivation and development of the Team Members by enabling the continuous learning and development of the skills and competencies required for the future of work. Organisations must have the ability to quickly change at scale and capitalize on new opportunities.
- What opportunities, in your estimation, exist for VM to thrive in the present marketplace?
The local financial sector has progressed and developed materially over the years, and Jamaica is now known as the financial hub of the Caribbean. VM, can and is playing our part in many respects, by driving financial education towards accelerating financial inclusion; promoting the steps required for persons to start and afterwards accelerate their financial journey; and providing new products to serve the varying needs of Jamaicans, locally and in the Diaspora. We also assist businesses with raising debt and equity capital to grow their enterprise; and getting listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. This includes the traditional but also creative structure based on the unique needs of various groups. Its worthy to note that, we have also launched a private equity fund to transition companies from private ownership.
