Richard Downie is RBC's new managing director for Trinidad and Tobago

RBC has appointed Richard Downie as the new managing director for Trinidad and Tobago.

In a release sent to the media on Wednesday, RBC said Downie will begin work from August 1.

Downie will continue as the bank’s regional operating officer for TT, as well as his new portfolio.

Downie replaced Gretchen Camacho-Mohammed, who has accepted a new position with RBC’s head office in Toronto.

Camacho-Mohammed was appointed general manager in 2018. Before this, Darryl White, RBC Caribbean Banking and RBC Merchant Bank CEO and regional vice president, was announced as the new general manager in 2013, He served for almost four years before he was replaced by Camacho-Mohammed.

Downie joined RBC in 1988, when he worked in the IT department as an application programmer. From there at RBTT he continued his work with IT, taking on progressively more senior management roles in both IT and bank operations.

When RBC came back to TT in 2008, Downie made the transition from IT into the bank’s Service Delivery Unit, where he eventually led the PanCaribbean team before becoming regional operating officer for TT in 2018.

At the start of 2021, Downie joined the Institute of Banking and Finance – a non-profit organisation in TT that provides professional education programmes to assist banking and finance professionals seeking career advancement through self-development.

Head of Caribbean Banking Rob Johnston congratulated Downie on his appointment and said the wealth of knowledge gained from his experience working in the industry over the years has given Downie “a unique insight into how the bank operates.

“He knows how we work with regulators and governments, and most importantly, Richard knows how we serve our clients in an environment dominated by rapid change, digitisation, and new ways of doing business.”