The Bank of Nevis Ltd.

Profile of Mr. Desmond Herbert

DESMOND S M HERBERT was elected to the Board of Directors of The Bank of Nevis Ltd on 31 March 2009. He first served as an Overseas Director of the Bank during the period 1985 – 1992. He is a shareholder and one of the founders of the Bank.

Mr Herbert is a retired Mortgage Broker, Financial Consultant and Property Developer. He was born in Nevis to Kizzie Adotia Lillian Swanston- Butler of Zion Village. He attended the Charlestown Boys School and Charlestown Secondary School and at the age of 15 left school to pursue a career in the private sector working at several businesses including Wildy and Co, John Gumbs and R.G Solomon and Sons.

He was influenced by the church and served as a Sunday School Teacher at the Charlestown Methodist Church. He also served as a Boys Brigade Captain and Camp Commandant of Boys Brigade units on Nevis.

Mr Herbert had a strong interest in politics and in 1954 he was recruited by the late Eugene Walwyn and became the youngest speaker on his platform, and shared in his victory election to the Executive Council and later his being Nevis’ first Attorney General. He later founded the Nevis National Party (NNP) in 1987 and stood as a candidate in St Paul’s Parish. Although he lost, his party made an impact with the electorates.

In 1960, encouraged by his aunt Helen Swanston-Walwyn, he migrated to the UK and adopted Leeds City as his second home ever since. Through the Rapid Results College he passed O’levels in 1962 and “A” levels in 1964. In 1966 he joined one of the big six Energy Companies where he worked as a Data Analyst.

In 1969, he was offered a place at Sheffield University where he studied for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree for three years. However, he cut his studies short to return to Leeds where he has had a successful business career since as a Mortgage and Insurance Broker, Property Developer/Manager, Owner/Manager of a Beauty Salon and Financial Consultant. Mr Herbert also managed The Bradford & Bingley Building Society Agency Branch in Leeds from 1985 – 1988. He served as Secretary of the United Caribbean Association (UCA) for 5 years; member of the British Labour Party and former Chairman of the Chapel Allerton Constituency Branch- Leeds of the said Party.