The Corporate Sustainability Review - CSR 2012-2013

David Dulal-Whiteway

The Bank's performance is a reflection of the economy

David Dulal-Whiteway is one of eight (8) children born to his mother, Myra and father George. “I am a country boy at heart”, he says. This is why life for him is one big community. He sees the bank as a community, his customers as a community and everyone else as just a bigger community to which we all belong. His first recollection of self-giving was at his parish church, ‘Christ the King’ in San Fernando. “Giving” he says, “was nurtured from childhood. My mother was very involved with the church. There was no sexton, just my mother who volunteered her time. So every morning I went with her as she opened up the church. I helped her to clean, put flowers in place and ring the bell for Mass... I also served at Mass. It was part of my daily routine.” It was his mother too, who helped to shape a conscience that said, giving back to society and helping others is a good way to live one’s life.

Dulal-Whiteway was appointed to the position of Managing Director of Republic Bank in 2005. He explains that the bank’s approach to CSR is integrated into its vision statement. This way he explains, “it is hard-wired into the way we work. We have codified it in a way that makes it an intrinsic part of how we operate.”

Everything that the bank does is linked to its CSR programme. The bank’s performance he says, “is a reflection of the economy.” If the society is not doing well, then neither does the bank. It is important, he believes, that companies understand this synergy. He wishes that many more companies got that point.