CIBC Caribbean time capsule to be opened in 2074

A letter to the CIBC Caribbean team in 2074 from CEO Mark St Hill, a napkin signed by Prime Minister of Barbados Mia A. Mottley and the president and CEO of CIBC Victor Dodig, staff shirts, photos, documents, videos and a cutting from a mahogany tree in the head office at Warrens, are among the mementos that were placed in a time capsule that was encased at the Warrens head office to be opened in 50 years.

The short encasing ceremony, held in the car park of the head office, was the final phase of the events held around the official rebranding of the organisation on January 30. At that time, the packing of the capsule was started, but it was decided to include photos and videos of that event and all the materials had to be properly packed in acid-free envelopes and enclosed in bags that would allow the items to still be intact in 50 years’ time.

During the ceremony, St Hill shared a copy of his letter to the future team, telling them, “we expect that, by the time you read this, our company would have undergone even more transformation as our region, our world and our clients changed and evolved.”

In addition to the CEO’s letter, a letter from the youngest employee of the bank, Alvontae Garland of Turks and Caicos Islands, was also placed in the capsule.

Among the other items included in the capsule are a pair of personal cufflinks belonging to Michael Mansoor, founding chairman of FirstCaribbean International Bank, which were donated by his family; sample currency notes from the various countries in which the bank operates; sample credit and debit cards; digital documents such as the latest Annual and ESG Reports; a 2009 edition of the employee newsletter Caribbean Pride; a commemorative CIBC silver coin from Canada; numerous documents of the bank, mini flags and lapel pins from the countries where the bank operates, and, to top it off, an audio recording of the whistling frogs heard on evenings outside the Warrens head office.

The brainchild of Marketing Manager Sam Brathwaite, the stainless-steel box was inserted in a slot in the signage bollard in the yard of the head office by Donna Wellington, managing director for Barbados, and General Counsel and Group Corporate Secretary Brian Clarke.