Ian Chinapoo, Managing Director, Capital Markets
Ian Chinapoo is Managing Director, Capital Markets for FirstCaribbean. His appointment became effective on November 1st, 2005. He has held the position of Director, Origination - Capital Markets at FirstCaribbean for the past two years. Having significant experience in Investment Banking, Ian was recruited from Citigroup, where he held the post of Business Head of Citigroup’s Global Corporate and Investment Bank in the Bahamas. Previous roles include Vice President / Senior Transactor in Capital Markets for the Caribbean and Central Americas region at Citibank International in Miami and Vice President with responsibility for Structured Finance and Product Development while at Citibank Trinidad. He has a Bsc in Accounting (First Class Honours) from the University of the West Indies and has tutored and lectured in the MBA, Advanced Diploma and CIMA programmes at UWI’s Institute of Business in Trinidad from 1996 to 2000.

Sharaz Ahamad, Director - Southern Caribbean
Mr. Ahamad was appointed Director – Southern Caribbean in January 1, 2006. Prior to joining FirstCaribbean International Bank in 2003 as Associate Director, Mr. Ahamad worked for Citibank (Trinidad and Tobago Limited) as Manager for Product Development and Innovation for Trinidad and the wider Caribbean region. In January 2003, he was seconded to Citibank (Jamaica) and held the post of Assistant President for Capital Markets, Corporate Finance and Derivatives. In August 2003, Mr. Ahamad undertook the additional responsibility for the Mergers and Acquisitions portfolio for Citibank (Trinidad and Tobago Limited).

Mr. Ahamad holds a BSc Management Studies (First Class Honours) from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine and an MBA (Finance) from the University of the West Indies – Institute of Business.

Berisford Grey, Director - Northern Caribbean
Mr. Grey was appointed Director – Northern Caribbean in January 2007. He joined the Capital Markets Origination team as an Associate Director in January 2004.

In 1998, he migrated to Belgium where he joined Fredell & Co. Structured Finance, one of Europe’s leading independent structured finance firms, as an Analyst. In 2001, Mr. Grey was promoted to Associate, Structured Debt Products where he led or co-led several debt capital transactions including securitisation, sale and lease back, acquisition financing and secured credit facilities. Also in 2001, he led the structuring of a multi-jurisdiction secured facility, which was described as having one of the most innovative facility structures in Europe by the International Securitisation Report (a reputable industry journal. At Fredell & Co. Mr. Grey also played an integral role in sourcing new businesses and clients in Belgium and Germany.

Mr. Grey holds an MSc Economics (Distinction) from the University of the West Indies and an MBA (Distinction) from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Belgium.

Sasha Balkaran, Associate Director - Origination
Ms. Balkaran was appointed Associate Director – Origination in January 2007. She joined FirstCaribbean’s Capital Markets team in June 2005.

Ms. Balkaran previously worked as an Account Executive in the Risk & Control / Deals Execution department of RBTT Merchant Bank, where her primary duty was managing the deals process. She later assumed additional responsibilities as Assistant Vice President of Distribution where she established and built client relationships in the private placement of financial products. Ms. Balkaran pioneered RBTT’s distribution efforts in Central America where she spent a significant amount of time gathering market intelligence to inform the structuring of investment solutions.

In addition to being the recipient of a National Open Scholarship in Trinidad, Ms. Balkaran is also a Fulbright Scholar and holds a BSc. in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Catherine Gibson, Associate Director - Origination
Ms. Gibson was appointed to the position of Associate Director – Capital Markets in September 2005. She has substantial experience in Public Accounting and Private Banking. Prior to her appointment at FirstCaribbean International Bank, Ms. Gibson spent seven (7) years at Citibank Bahamas, having joined the bank in 1998 as the sole representative of its Corporate & Investment Bank. During her tenure at Citibank Ms. Gibson led or co-led several market firsts including the largest local M & A transaction, the first public debt issue in the international capital markets by the Government of The Bahamas and the first regional bond issue by the Government of Turks & Caicos

Ms. Gibson holds a BBA in Accounting and a BSc in Computing Information Systems from Loma Linda University in Riverside, California and an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Latin American Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She also holds Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designations.

Marcus Jagdeo, Associate Director - Head of Structured Finance
Mr. Jagdeo joined FirstCaribbean Capital Markets as Associate Director - Structured Finance Head in January 2007 where he will develop innovative strategies to enhance the unit’s market-leading portfolio. In addition, he will play a significant role in product development for Capital Markets, while enhancing FirstCaribbean’s global investment banking network.
His banking career began in 1997 with Citibank in Trinidad & Tobago. He later held positions in risk management and trading at Credit Suisse Securities Limited and JPMorgan Chase in London.

In 2004, he joined the AIC Financial Group Limited in Trinidad & Tobago as Assistant Vice President in the group’s Merchant Bank. He later filled the roles of Vice President and Director of two of AIC’s subsidiaries.
Mr. Jagdeo is a first-class honours graduate of the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he earned a Bachelor of Mathematics. He holds a Master of Science degree in International Securities, Investment and Banking from the ISMA Centre Business School, University of Reading, UK.
Among his professional qualifications are a UK Securities & Financial Derivatives Representative designation and a number of Society of Actuaries credentials.

Nisha Mohammed, Associate Director - Origination
Ms. Mohammed joined FirstCaribbean International Bank as an Associate Director – Origination in September 2005.

Prior to FirstCaribbean, Ms. Mohammed spent six years in the United States with Citigroup in its Corporate and Investment Bank. Since 2001 she worked as a Relationship Manager in Atlanta, Georgia where she was responsible for developing and maintaining the bank's global relationships with a number of large, multinational, investment-grade corporations. In this role, she oversaw the global network that supported the liquidity and cash management needs of her clients worldwide and was actively involved in the structuring and execution of numerous facilities.

Ms. Mohammed holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University's Stern School of Business and a BSc Management Studies (Honours) from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

Gerard Morton, Associate Directore - Head of Transaction Management
Mr. Morton was appointed Associate Director – Transaction Management Head in January 2007. He joined FirstCaribbean as Senior Business Analyst in April 2006 from Citibank (Trinidad and Tobago) Limited, where he held the position of Assistant Vice President- Risk Analysis Unit Head. As a Senior Risk Analyst, Mr. Morton managed the Risk Analysis Unit, reviewed and approved transactions as a member of the Bank's credit committee, and was instrumental in portfolio planning and management, and overall risk management of the bank.

During his seven years at Citibank, Mr. Morton worked on a number of significant transactions for sovereign entities, financial institutions and energy sector companies. He also managed the Credit Administration and Market Risk Units of the bank. Prior to joining Citibank, Mr. Morton held the position of Credit Officer II at the Agricultural Development Bank.

Trudy Wilson
Associate Director - Origination
Ms. Wilson was appointed Associate Director – Origination in January 2007. She joined FirstCaribbean’s Capital Markets team in April 2004 as a Senior Business Analyst.

Ms. Wilson previously worked with Citibank Jamaica since 2001 as a Risk Manager where she had responsibility for the management of several of the Bank’s top-tier Jamaican corporate clients, with sole responsibility for the management of all Public Sector accounts. While at Citibank, she was involved in the structuring of several capital market transactions, trade financing facilities and secured credit facilities. She was appointed to the Bank’s credit committee in mid 2002. In that same year, Ms. Wilson also assumed the role of Market Risk Manager for the Bank’s Jamaican operations. Her responsibilities included managing all aspects of the Citibank Jamaica’s liquidity and price risks as well as its capital exposure.

Ms. Wilson holds a BSc. Accounting (First Class Honors) from the University of the West Indies. She is a qualified CPA and is currently pursuing the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.