157 employees with long and unbroken record of service to the Rokel Commercial Bank have been honoured for their dedication, hard work and loyalty on Saturday, 14 September 2024 at the new Freetown City Complex. The employees who have worked between 15 to 35 years including those who served during Barclays Bank Plc and the period following the change of name to Rokel Commercial Bank after the transfer of ownership to the government and people of Sierra Leone.
There were emotional scenes inside the new City Hall as the awardees, divided into three categories (based on the number of years they served) ascended a brilliantly decorated stage to collect their plaques with beautiful and inspiring citations.
Millicent Cole, a long serving female employee, who is also the first woman to attain the rank of a Director in the bank, recounted how the institution had gone through a very difficult period that was characterized by liquidity and solvency challenges and very low staff morale among others. In spite of these challenges, the Director of Risk Management said the bank came back from the brink to reposition itself as a thriving, profitable and stable financial institution in Sierra Leone.
Managing Director, Dr Walton Ekundayo Gilpin paid glowing tributes to the awardees, condemning their dedication, hard work, loyalty and selflessness to the Bank. He called on all staff members to put their differences aside and exude positive energy as they look forward to a more prosperous future with the bank.
“Let us convert our negative energies into positive energies for it is not just the number of years you take but the impact you in the service of this bank and by extension, your country….” he said.
