Sponsored content
Butterfield Bank Jersey branch manager Michelle Le Blond tells Emily Moore why the business wants to become the go-to local banking option for island residents
WHEN a 17-year-old Michelle Le Blond decided to spend her summer holiday working in Jersey, she could not have imagined how that time would change her life.
“I was one of those teenagers who didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I left school,” she reflected. “But during that summer, I experienced independence for the first time and got a taste of working in hospitality. I went back to Ireland to finish school and sit my exams but then came straight back to Jersey, where I worked in hospitality for a couple of years, which is where my love of working with people was cemented,” she explained.
And it was those factors which helped the now branch manager of Butterfield Bank Jersey to shape her career plans.
Since transitioning into the finance industry nearly 30 years ago, and spending time in a wide range of both client-facing and support roles, Michelle has grown a passion for “building strong teams and delivering great client service” as well as “driving efficiency in a way which enhances services”.
“I’ve been tremendously lucky to have worked in many areas of the finance industry,” Michelle said. “This has given me a comprehensive foundation in banking and enabled me to develop leadership skills. I can look at a business overall and identify ways to improve services by making processes more effective, while always ensuring people are at the centre of any change or project.”
Since starting her finance career as an administrator in the private client segment, Michelle has worked in operational areas, customer service roles, wealth management and trust.
She has also undertaken a range of project management roles, including one which “opened up a whole new world”.
“I had an opportunity to take part in the LEAN Six Sigma management programme, which allowed me to look beyond the business areas I had previously worked in and have a lens into the whole business,” she smiled. “Suddenly, I was working with different people, undertaking training and coaching and facilitating meetings to really get into the engine room of the organisation and look at what we were doing day to day and how we could improve those processes.
“Critically, it showed me the importance of working with people, to develop an understanding of their mindset and behaviour, and help them to embrace change. Ever since then, I have strongly believed that it is the people in an organisation who make a business successful. They are the centre and if you have satisfied employees, they will want to build out the organisation and will want to improve processes and give customers the best possible service.”
A couple of years after this, at a time when Michelle had segued into the trust world, a former colleague sought out her expertise to help Butterfield further establish their banking and custody business in Jersey.
“I received a call asking whether I would be interested in building Butterfield’s presence in the Channel Islands with a more diversified offering following a recent acquisition. It was an opportunity that was too exciting to refuse. As a project manager, it was my job to support the transition of employees and clients to Butterfield,” she said.
Progressing from project manager to vice president of operations and then vice president of client services, Michelle’s next appointment – as branch manager – came last year when the Bermuda-headquartered bank made its next piece of Jersey history.
“Having moved into our new home at the International Finance Centre, the leadership team made a strategic decision to simplify the Channel Islands business structure. By becoming a branch of Butterfield in Guernsey, we are now able to provide a more efficient and streamlined service to clients.”
Key to that service, she adds, is understanding the local market.
“Butterfield has operated in the Channel Islands for more than 50 years and we are committed to delivering financial products and services which meet the needs of residents,” she said. “While we are smaller than some of the high street banks, we provide a personal service. Ultimately, we want to become the go-to local banking option for island residents, identifying gaps in the market and offering products to fill them.”
An example of that, she adds, is the launch of Butterfield’s credit cards.
“We saw that islanders’ ability to obtain a credit card was being impacted for a variety of reasons and so Butterfield launched an offer, licensed in Guernsey, which responded to that situation. Similarly, we have launched a range of savings products and mortgage offers, all of which people can either apply for online or come into our IFC branch and talk to a member of the team about.”
While already offering services for both local and corporate clients, Michelle adds that further products are “in development” as the bank continues its journey in the Channel Islands.
“This is a really exciting time for us at Butterfield as we grow both our team and our client base,” she said.
And it is not just customers who the bank is keen to support, with Michelle highlighting its “continued commitment to the wider community”, which includes a range of internships and scholarships – with one undergraduate scholarship offering up to US$30,000 every year for four years to support the next generation – as well as supporting charities Jersey Sports and ArtHouse Jersey.
“We want to build long-term relationships both with our customers and community organisations,” she said. “We are not just here to offer financial products but to do our part as a member of the Jersey community.”
