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| ??Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Chris Sinckler (right) greets retired chairman of the Financial Services Commission, Sir Neville Nicholls (at left) during a function at CinCin by the Sea yesterday, while Chief Executive Officer of the FSC, Ian Carrington looks on. (G. Brewster/BGIS) |
Caring, immense intellect, profound knowledge of the law, quiet, dignified, soft spoken. These were some of the accolades used to describe the life and work of one this country’s finest public servants – Sir Neville Nicholls.
The comments were heaped on the retired Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, by Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Chris Sinckler, yesterday at a luncheon in Sir Neville’s honour at Cin Cin by the Sea restaurant.
Describing the contribution of Sir Neville to Barbados as a whole, Mr. Sinckler said: "Barbados as a small island developing country, to be able to have access to such substantial human quality as the personages of people such as Sir Neville Nicholls – to be able to give public service both during their working life, but more importantly after they have supposedly officially retired – is absolutely remarkable."
Refuting the claims in some quarters that public servants did not perform their tasks with exception, the Finance Minister stated that Sir Neville’s work, along with many others reflected exemplary service.
??"When you look at Sir Neville’s career spanning many, many decades, the level of contribution, the brilliance he has brought to every aspect of his service, whether as a regulatory attorney at law, as Chief Parliamentary Counsel responsible for drafting many of the laws which we now administer – as President of the Caribbean Development Bank for many years, of course as chairman of several institutions, the Securities Commission, the Financial Services Commission, the Fair Trading Commission.
"When you really look at that quality of service, where else in the world can any small country boast of having that level of personages to develop, to contribute to and to build on the kind of institutions which we have in this country," he queried.
He told those in attendance that it was doubtful whether in his lifetime anyone could be found to surpass the level of influence of Sir Neville. The Finance Minister added that the former chairman had contributed substantially to the development of the financial services and the securities sector in Barbados.
"This is an outstanding Barbadian citizen and, I think that our young people?? …if you are looking for a model on which to model your future success … Sir Neville Nicholls represents the epitome of what success should be," he underlined.
Sir Neville Nicholls is an attorney-at-law by profession. He was appointed Chairman of the Fair Trading Commission in 2004. He also served as Chairman of the Campus Council of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and was made a Knight of St. Andrew in 1990.