The number of people obtaining professional director qualifications is a ‘significant achievement’ for such a small jurisdiction as Bermuda, according to the Island’s branch of the Institute of Directors.

Ten people have newly received Certificate in Company Direction designation bringing the number of CICD holder in Bermuda to more than 80.

Rochelle Simons, chairwoman of IoD Bermuda and lead for branch professional development, said: “Directors continue to pursue professional development in preparation for the challenges and opportunities presented in economic environments impacted by the coronavirus.”

She added: “The total number of CICD holders is now more than 80. This is a significant achievement for our small jurisdiction and all 2020 results are not yet in. Final CICD exams were written on November 25 and the results will be available in December so I am sure we will see the numbers increase.

“I am also delighted that delegates represent diverse industry sectors and professions. The IoD Bermuda was revitalised to expand and strengthen director talent on-Island across all industries, and the list of 10 certainly is indicative of that diversity.”

She said the success had come despite the IoD having to transition from in-person training to virtual training, adding: “I appreciate delegates’ exercise of patience, pivot and resilience as we transitioned delivery of the CICD and diploma modules from in-person on-island to a new live virtual platform and worked through technical challenges common to many new online platforms.

“We also had to reschedule module delivery dates in response to the threat of Hurricane Paulette which also forced a few delegates to miss exam dates. Then we facilitated a rescheduling of examinations and moved the diploma offering to the November 4 to 6, just 14 days prior to the final diploma examination date in 2020. What a year to date.”

The 10 who qualified are:

Christina Smith, chief financial officer, Freisenbruch-Meyer Insurance Services Ltd.

Colin McQueen, managing partner, Latin Partners Ltd.

Jeff Ingelman, chief compliance officer, Nephila Capital Ltd.

John Gibbons, family office specialist, Harbour Fiduciary Services Limited

Kerry Judd, managing director, New Beginnings Limited

Kevin Richards, managing director, Bermuda Asset Management

Kim Simmons, VP senior legal counsel, The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited

Lawrence Scott, chairman, Bermuda Airport Authority

Ronald Viera, chief operating officer, First Atlantic Commerce Ltd.

Tanya Bule, head of wealth personal banking and marketing, HSBC