have lived through seven separate chief executive officers, the advent of computerisation and seen the economy on the Island boom.

No longer is the bank on Reid Street the only branch on the Island, but expansion also means that the bank boasts offices in the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Hong Kong. The company's staff has more than doubled to a worldwide figure of 1,113.

And the work they do is unrecognisable from the first day they started. Not only are they at the top of the rung, but work in their departments is no longer processed on huge cumbersome machines, bookkeeping is not done manually, nor are telexes the best way of keeping in touch. They both now work in the age of e-mail, faxes and the Internet.

And yesterday the two women, who have climbed through the ranks to two of the most senior positions in the organisation, were honoured for their 35 years' service.

"It doesn't feel like it has been 35 years in the same job,'' said Mrs Lauder, who has just recently been appointed Vice President of Change and Risk Management.

"Technology is changing all the time, and so is the way you do your job. The people you work with also change. If you enjoy your job, you will continue to enjoy it and continue to meet the challenges every day.

Mrs. Lauder joined the bank in January 1965 as a clerk. Her job was, as part of the team in the trust department, to keep records. She had a huge NCR machine which was one of the first automated typewriters which could produce a balance if credits and debits were plugged in.

"I got to where I am today through hard work,'' said Mrs Lauder. "It is the first step to success. When I joined I was very keen, eager to learn, so I paid close attention to every task I was given. As a result, when someone was sick, I was the one who took over, and when someone left, I was there to take over.'' The bank took a keen interest in her and helped train her as she climbed the corporate ladder. Mrs. Lauder, who is the mother of two grown children, eventually became the first woman in senior management who was promoted internally.

Mrs Lauder, who was instrumental in the most recent computerisation of the bank's offices, will take up her newly created position in April.

From there she will take an overall look at the bank's processes with a view to making them more efficient and better for the bank's customers.

Mrs. Symonds joined the bank eight months after Mrs. Lauder. Her first job was as a teller in the Reid Street branch. Now, over three decades on, she is the manager of that same branch.

She has 50 people under her watchful eye, and now spends more time in managerial meetings than with the customers.

"If something is worth doing, then it is worth doing well,'' said Mrs.

Symonds. "Every day I go in, I challenge myself to do better than I did the day before. It keeps you going every day and makes work enjoyable.'' Bank honours promoted to supervisor, and eventually to become the first woman branch manager the bank ever had. In charge of the Somerset offices, she said she at first encountered some hostility because of her gender.

Mrs. Symonds, who also has a grown-up family, said: "When I first started there were 80 percent men in the department. You were treated differently.

Women did not have corporate positions. Things are different now, we have equal opportunities and equal pay.

"At first when I went to Somerset, I encountered hostility. I was taking the position of a male and there were definitely some issues there. But I was strong, and I could deal with it.''