A panel of five distinguished persons has been assembled to decide the first regional winners of the relaunched CIBC Caribbean Unsung Heroes.
The panel is headed by Independent Senator in the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament, Senator
Francis Lewis a former executive director of marketing and product development at the bank
and the man who conceptualized and executed the original programme which ran from 2003 to
2013.
The other judges are President of the Bahamas Red Cross, Edison Sumner; former Barbados
Minister of Health Lt. Col Jeffrey Bostic; Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Five Islands
Campus of the University of the West Indies, Antigua, Professor C. Justin Robinson; President
Jamaica Methodist District, Bishop, the Revd. Christine Gooden Benguche, and CIBC
Caribbean’s Shayon Anderson, Operations Supervisor (ag) based in Jamaica and known for her
community outreach and other philanthropic endeavors.
Senator Lewis a Senior Consultant and Director of Res Consulting Limited (ResCo), which he
founded in 1993 said it was a “deep honour to accept the role of chief judge” and he was
delighted to “once again be associated with CIBC Caribbean and the Unsung Heroes
programme”.
A veteran academic and dedicated teacher, he is a Senior Adjunct Professor at the UWI – Arthur
Lok Jack Global School of Business and was a former Subject Group Head, Marketing. He
played a foundational role in the School’s development, from its inception as the Institute of
Business (IOB) and later transition to the GSB.
Shayon Anderson noted that “to have been chosen as a judge for the Unsung Heroes
Campaign 2025 is such a humble feeling. I am overjoyed by this opportunity, and I am looking
forward to help highlight and reward our Caribbean Heroes who have been quietly impacting
lives within communities across our region”.
Building on the strong legacy of the decade long, Unsung Heroes programme which ran from
2003 to 2013, and which highlighted and rewarded scores of Caribbean men and women
working quietly in their communities and making a difference in the lives of many, the Caribbean
bank has rebooted the campaign to find those hidden heroes across its 10-member regional
footprint.
The bank has made a modification to the original programme. While the original campaign
focused mainly on people from the region who worked over a number of years to better their communities, the 2025 version of CIBC Caribbean Unsung Heroes campaign is open to all
persons aged ten and over who have been making a difference in their communities and who
have not been highlighted or rewarded in any significant way.
The new campaign offered two categories under which persons can be nominated – the original
category of “outstanding work in the community” and a new category covering “an act of
heroism/bravery/extraordinary act of kindness” within the 12 months preceding the start of the
year’s campaign.
The winners from each country will be eligible for the regional awards, the winners of which will
be announced this month. In October the top three regional winners – the regional CIBC
Caribbean Unsung Hero and two runners-up – and a guest each will be brought to Barbados for
the presentation of prizes at a special awards dinner.
Special prizes will also be offered to the persons nominating the winning heroes.
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