 The UWI St. Augustine Campus will confer an honorary LLD on banker, Mr Ronald Harford, during its graduation ceremonies in October 2012. Mr Harford revealed some of what’s inside the business suit to UWI Today.
Your name is automatically included in the realm of business and banks. It is a sphere often stereotypically associated with a specific range of interests, but your spare time seems devoted to pursuits outside that range: outdoor activities, historical reading, listening to Caribbean and classical music, and so on. What is the extent of these interests and what role have they played in your life? In other words, what is a relaxed Ronald like?
I have a beach house in Blanchisseuse with a pool. There is also a long beach (YARA) and river nearby. My joy is savouring the nature that surrounds this place of peace and enjoying it with friends. I take a keen interest in the fruit trees and flora that surround the premises. The bird life has been enhanced considerably with the flowering and fruit trees planted. We are occasionally visited by red Macaws. There are a number of waterfalls nearby: Avocat, Paria, and Three Pools, that make for delightful short treks. I listen to classical and Caribbean music in this house among the trees and read historical novels on the grass verge to the beach under a canopy of sea grape and coconut trees. The sea laps on the shore at my feet. The pelicans swoop down for their daily catch...
I have close eclectic groups of friends whose company I enjoy while we discuss world politics, economics, personal philosophies drawn from experiences and some general ole talk. Travel is another love of mine and on each trip I make it an adventure if I can, going off to see exotic places and idyllic sites.
Would you describe yourself as a family man in terms of time spent with them?
The love of family is embedded in me from my father who made us understand that what endures is family and a few friends. We have had large Christmas parties for decades (40-60 people) and family birthdays are observed as mechanisms for keeping the generations together. A history of the family has been written, so for generations to come they will know and maybe appreciate our genealogy.
My dad, Raymond Augustus Stanley Harford, was a banker like myself. He was born in Grenada and educated at a boarding school in the United Kingdom. When cocoa collapsed, there were no jobs in Grenada, so he came to Trinidad and was fortunate to get a job at Barclays (Bank). He worked his way through, serving in San Fernando, then Guyana and St Vincent. He retired as manager at the Independence Square Branch. He was much loved by his customers. He had the knack of being a good judge of character and business propositions, and many businesses today were established through his support. At the Bank he was a fierce fighter for equal opportunities and rights for local staff.
Looking back at your career, through the broad range of boards and associations which have had your input, where would you say you felt that you made your most meaningful contribution, the one that gave you the most satisfaction?
I have lived my life to the fullest, worked hard and probably played less hard. I can walk you through my history and show many meaningful achievements. I played a leading role in galvanizing the business community to establish the Brian Lara Promenade and managed it in its early years.
Next year I would have served Republic Bank for 50 years. My greatest achievement here without a doubt is coaching; developing a strong cadre of professionals so that the future leadership of the Bank is secure. A strong culture has been instilled through example and by causing our rich history (175 years) to be written. Many of the products, subsidiaries and policies were initiated by me.
To single out a few: the first credit and debit cards, think how this has transformed commerce and the payment system, the Links system which enables all banks cards to be used at all terminals and ABMs. On the other side, there was Youth Link, a system to give students an apprenticeship at the Bank for a year. Then there is the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme: Power to make a Difference, through which we give to the disadvantaged $100 million over a five-year term.
At 50, do you feel Trinidad and Tobago has achieved the kind of maturity it ought to?
Trinidad has come a long way in these past years. The standard of living has improved dramatically and people live a metropolitan life in Port of Spain with night clubs, bars, frequent shows and plays, and our sporting prowess is growing. There are many negatives but these do not cause me to lose hope. I firmly believe that we are at the invisible cusp where the people of the country will take a firmer hold on the direction of our future for the better. Their education and exposure to the world tells them that we can do better and they must play a more powerful role in this. At least they will demand better accountability from the leadership.
What does this honorary LLD degree mean to you?
This is a most unexpected honour, as was the Chaconia Medal Gold Award last year. These honours are sent to remind one that your job is not yet done and that you must give back more to this great country of your birth. For to truly belong, you must give. |
