Hugh Sands To Receive BFSB’s Lifetime Award
Mr Sands, a banking industry veteran, is the former Caribbean director and Bahamas manager for Barclays Bank, from which he retired in 1995 after a career that began in 1973.
He started at Barclays as a staff manager in the Bahamas head office and, prior to becoming Bahamas manager, also served as manager of Barclays’ Bay Street branch.
As Caribbean director his duties included responsibility for the bank’s operations in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and profit and performance planning for the bank’s operations in the Cayman Islands and Belize.
After retiring from Barclays, Mr Sands was appointed chairman of the Bank of the Bahamas, a position he held until retiring in early 2005. In 1998 he was awarded the Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG), in recognition of his significant contribution to the Bahamas. Three years prior, he became an Honorary Fellow of the Bahamas Institute of Bankers, now the Bahamas Financial Services Institute.
Currently, he remains a trustee of the Royal Bahamas Police Dependants Trust Fund and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahamas Hotel and Allied Industries Pension fund. He serves as a director of The Private Trust Corporation, Tribune Radio Holdings, Providence Advisors, Fidelity Bank and Trust, Andbanc (Bahamas ), CBH Compagnie Bancaire Helvetique SA (formerly Banque SCS Alliance (Nassau ) Limited). Previously, he served as chairman of J.S. Johnson & Company and the Insurance Company of the Bahamas.
Mrm Sands concluded a four year appointment as Chairman of the Public Service Commission on the 31 August this year, and was honoured with the 2011 Public Service Award of Excellence at a Ceremony at Government House on 30 September, 2011.
Throughout his career he has held prominent and leadership positions in educational associations and community building groups such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Programme, the Endowment for the Performing Arts, the Bahamas National Trust, Rotary Club of East Nassau and Council Chairman of the College of The Bahamas. He was a Founding Member of The Blue Ribbon Panel, Cacique Awards and the First Chairman of the Hotel Training Council.
Mr Sands completed his higher education at Durham, Leicester and London Universities in the UK, obtaining his Bachelor of Arts Degree, Postgraduate Certificate in Education and Master of Arts Degree. He is married to the former Shirley Sherman of Bimini, and the couple has two children and five grandchildren. His wife of 51 years is the founding managing director of Premier Travel.
BFSB chairman, Paul Winder, said the humility of this industry “soldier” is attested to in a comment he made: “I wasn’t going to end up in Fortune, Forbes, Success, CEO or Money magazine. I was more likely to end up with my name printed in some barely legible tiny font in the co-author attribution line in reports on education in the Bahamas that I took very seriously and worked diligently to create.”
He brought the same lack of arrogance to the financial services industry, displaying enduring dedication to building the sector through whatever role and responsibilities he undertook.
The Award will be presented at the 11th Annual FSI Excellence Awards Banquet on November 11, at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Hotel. The BFSB is accepting reservations now.
The Tribune
Published On: Monday, October 17, 2011
