Once again, RBS International is the lead sponsor for Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence. Island director Bill Shimmins talks about diversity and how the bank is meeting the needs of very different businesses
--------------------------
‘It’s not a vanilla offering. It’s very much tailored for individual customer’s needs and the nature of their business,’ said Bill.
The Isle of Man economy is more diverse than it has even been and with the government’s Vision 2020 focussed on identifying opportunities and driving forward key sectors, Bill says that the bank want to play a positive role, he said.
‘We’re very keen to get behind Vision 2020 and help support the ongoing growth of the economy and we do see this diversity and innovation as a key strength of Isle of Man. We share that kind of vision and are supporting key sectors and we’re delighted that our lending business is growing year on year.’
Bill has also been delighted by the number of businesses that have moved their accounts to the bank over the last 12 months:
‘That’s partly come about as other banks have put their key focus in the international side of the business. But it also reflects the quality of service that we deliver. We’ve got critical mass here so we can do a lot of our processing, payments, lending decisions and mortgages in-house, here in the Isle of Man.
‘The feedback from our customers is that they appreciate the fact that they‘re dealing with a local bank, and a local relationship team but also that this is backed up by a quality service offering and the strength of RBS.
‘And what is really highly valued by our customers is simply the ability to speak to someone here – someone who understands them and knows them. It may be their own advisor but if he or she is not available then we’ve got the necessary size to ensure that another member of the team will be there to help.’
The challenge, he goes on, is to make the bank’s offering appropriate to the wide range of businesses it serves:
‘What we see is a tremendous variety, from the very traditional sectors – fishing, farming food production - to leading edge technology companies and manufacturing. Some of the sectors clearly have different needs than others: some require lending support while for others it’s more about facilities such as electronic banking with integrated foreign exchange which is available on the eQ platform which is very popular with clients for international facing businesses.
‘Many of our clients in the intermediary and insurance sectors the vast majority of their business is not local. They’re operating across different time zones and different jurisdictions and we’re able to support that.
‘What we’re looking to do is to pull together a cross section which meets the needs of the different sectors and drawing on our team ethos in order to look after our customers.’
Have You Entered Yet?
Entries are now being invited for this year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence. There are 16 categories, offering opportunities for companies, individuals, public sector teams and charitable and cultural organisations.
Bill Shimmins, island director of RBS International, the Awards for Excellence lead sponsor, says that entering can offer a number of benefits.
He said: ‘The awards are now in their ninth year and they are probably more relevant than ever, given the diversity and change in both the public and private sectors.
‘For those who enter and are shortlisted, it first of all provides some profile for what they’re doing. One of the great things about the Awards for Excellence is that it highlights some unsung heroes. It enables recognition which is very important.
‘I think also, unlike some awards ceremonies which can be quite dry, the Awards for Excellence manages to combine that element of celebration and recognition whilst also being an entertaining evening.’
-----------------------
Entries for the Awards for Excellence close on Friday, September 26, and the awards night is on Thursday, November 20, at the Villa. You can find details of all the award categories, and download entry forms, at www.iomtoday.co.im/afe