Audrey S.

Background

About Audrey S.

Audrey Richards is a Consultant with the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), with responsibility for the development of the ecosystem for private equity and venture capital in Jamaica, as well as several key projects aimed at promoting innovation and the development of the local early stage and entrepreneurship ecosystem. At the Development Bank of Jamaica, Mrs. Richards has been responsible for conceptualizing and leading the design of a number of landmark programs, namely the Jamaica Venture Capital Program, and the Credit Enhancement Fund, a partial credit guarantee program, resulting in the mobilization of significant funding through the private capital and loan markets in Jamaica. She has been involved, in several leadership capacities, in the Jamaican capital markets for more than thirty years, and currently serves as Director on the Boards of Scotia Group Jamaica Limited, BNS Jamaica Limited, Scotia Investments Jamaica Limited, and is Chairman of the Boards of Scotia Jamaica Life Insurance Company Limited and Scotia Investments Limited. She also serves on the Boards of British Caribbean Insurance Company Limited, Caribbean Alternative Investment Association, and her alma mater, St. Andrew High School for Girls, and the St. Andrew High School Foundation. Mrs. Richards is passionate about creating capital market solutions, organizational building, financial market policy development and implementation, and has led a number of market developmental initiatives for the private and public sectors. She has consulted, locally, for institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank, Bank of Jamaica, Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), and the Financial Services Commission, and is a foundation member of the JSE Best Practices Committee. She was previously CEO for Edward Gayle and Company Limited (now NCB Capital Markets) and is a former Deputy Chairman of the JSE Council and Director of the National Housing Trust. Mrs. Richards holds an MBA (Finance) from the De Groote Graduate School of Business, McMaster University, Canada; a B.Sc.(Special Chemistry) from the University of the West Indies, Mona, and is a Certified Project Management Professional.