PHOTO CAPTION (L-R) Lashanta Smith, Patrice Taylor, Shervanna Deleveaux and Khalil Brathwaite during one the panel discussions.
(Nassau, Bahamas) Over 100 Human Resource professionals gathered at Baha Mar for the RF HR Leadership Forum, a half day event hosted by RF Bank & Trust in partnership with the Bahamas Society for Human Resource Management (BSHRM). Themed “Tools, Talent & Tomorrow”, the event delivered an insight packed agenda focused on preparing HR leaders for the evolving workplace.
With Cherrylee Pinder at the helm as host, the audience stayed engaged and energized from start to finish. Attendees explored how to drive innovation, improve employee experiences, and position HR as a strategic force within organizations.
Keshelle Davis led a standout session on artificial intelligence, demonstrating how tools like Copilot and ChatGPT can be seamlessly integrated into daily HR workflows. Her key takeaway? “You won’t be replaced by AI but you may be replaced by someone who knows how to use it.” Davis challenged attendees to embrace these technologies now, emphasizing that “this is the worst AI will ever be” underscoring its inevitable growth and impact.
PHOTO CAPTION: Keshelle Davis on the stage at RF HR Leadership Forum
Christina Sands, Regional Manager of Group Pensions at RF, shifted the conversation to financial wellness, arming the audience with a 12 month Financial Wellness Calendar filled with challenges and activities. She also unpacked how a well rounded benefits package from employee share offerings to financial education sessions can give employers a competitive edge in today’s talent market.
The day’s two powerhouse panels drove home the forum’s central message: HR must be bold, adaptable, and human-centered. Paul Haven and Keshala Knowles shared how Commonwealth Brewery and Cable Bahamas are embedding diversity and equity into their total rewards strategies. Guided by moderator Denise Knowles, the panel also featured Tonya Bethel, who explained how BRON is finding creative ways to reward employees beyond financial compensation—highlighting their success with offering additional time off as a powerful motivator.
In the closing panel, Khalil Braithwaite, CEO of Kanoo Innovation Hub, drove the point home: “There is no future planning without the human element. We must teach our teams to be resourceful if we want them to remain agile.” Shervanna Deleveaux, AVP of HR at RF, echoed this sentiment, stressing that meaningful culture shifts must start from the top. The conversation, moderated by Lashanta Smith, was rounded out by Patrice Taylor, who emphasized that emotional intelligence and soft skills are critical to preparing teams for the challenges and opportunities of the future.
The RF HR Leadership Forum marked another successful event by RF Bank & Trust to support thought leadership and empower professionals with the tools, insights, and confidence needed to drive business and the economy forward
About RF
Since its inception in 1997, RF has been committed to helping our clients create and manage wealth. We are your regional private bank connecting with the best in local and international investments. Collectively, we have helped clients raise in excess of USD $2.2 Billion in capital, have $1.4 Billion under management and 2 Billion+ assets under administration. Offering a wide range of investment products and services, our financial solutions are designed to help individuals and corporate clients meet and achieve their investment goals. These include Mutual Funds, Investment Management. Investment Banking, Group & Personal Pension Plans, Personal Retirement Accounts, Stock Brokerage, Trust & Estate Planning, and Educational Investment Accounts.
For more information, please visit http://www.www.rfgroup.com and follow us on Facebook @rfbanktrust
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