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MANAGER, HUMAN RESOURCES, RBC Royal Bank (Barbados) Limited and RBTT, Donna Stoute (seated right) with some of the members of her HR team. Seated left is Assistant Manager Human Resources Donna Weir, while standing, (from left) are Shernell Williams, Shirley Jones, and Wendy King. (RC)
FORMER QUEEN’S COLLEGE student Donna Stoute, is manager, Human Resources, for RBC Royal Bank (Barbados) Limited and RBTT Bank Barbados Limited. Stoute has spent her entire career in banking, having joined RBC in 1974 as a teller. She has held various posts in branch roles where she developed her penchant for excellent customer service. This led to her being appointed as a training officer, and therein started her journey and embracing of human resources as a career choice. In 1992, she was appointed human resources manager for RBC’s branches in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, wih responsibility for managing areas such a compensation, benefits, recruitment and employee training and development. Stoute has also held responsibility for driving the annual compensations and benefits review process for the RBC Caribbean network and formulating recommendations for senior management. Following the acquisition of RBTT by RBC Royal Bank in 2008, she assumed responsibility for the human resources functions for both RBC and RBTT in Barbados. Stoute said the role in human resources has evolved over the years. She sees herself as a strategic partner helping the bank to achieve its business objectives through quality trained human resources who are highly engaged and aligned to the bank’s vision and values. In addition to providing services for the retail
banking sector, she also provides consultancy service to RBC’s subsidiaries in Barbados. These include RBC Insurance, RBC Wealth Management and RBC Trading Corporation, Barbados as well as Royal Fidelity Merchant Bank — a joint venture between RBC and Fidelity Merchant Bank of the Bahamas. Within RBC, Stoute works closely with four support staff. They are training officer, Shernel Williams; assistant manager human resources, Donna Weir; human resources administrative officer, Shirley Jones; and benefits assistant, Wendy King. At RBTT, they are assistant manager human resources, Maureen Harris, a payroll clerk; an employee relations manager and human resources clerk. A former council member of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC), Stoute admits that banking now offers a varied scope for rewarding careers. “What I have also seen evolve is a change from directive training to that of employees taking more responsibility for their career paths and growth. “At RBC, we support ongoing personal and professional development by providing employees with tools and access to varied training options. Our human resources are our greatest asset and we place great focus on helping them to achieve. Employee engagement in matters that affect them is therefore a high priority and is achieved through a number of human resources initiatives,” she said.