Purpose and family first for Mariame McIntosh Robinson

A boss by day and a mother and wife by night, this former head girl of Immaculate Conception High School was born a leader.

A former management consultant at McKinsey and Company, partner at Portland Private Equity and 1998 Rhodes Scholar, she comes to the table highly qualified and today sits as one of five women to head operations at one of the nation’s commercial banks — which she has, for the last four years, served with distinction. As an avid reader and lover of books she enjoys lyming with friends during occasional outings in the hills for book club meetings. Describing herself as a “class clown” type character, she loves to make people laugh and said she is most herself during these times. A lover of brunches and a deep-rooted family woman, Mariame McIntosh Robinson — president and chief executive officer (CEO) of First Global Bank (FGB), is this week’s Q10 guest. 

1 .How would you describe yourself?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: I am an individual who is purpose-driven and focused on family, friends and community. 

2. How do you define success?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: Success for me is having the courage, space and optionality to know and pursue your full potential — God’s calling for your life. This can evolve and have varying phases over time. 

3.What’s the best life lesson you have learnt ?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: Self-love and awareness are key to showing up as your best self in your personal, professional and community relationships. You can more easily absorb, appreciate and learn from the ups and downs that life brings once you truly know yourself and love what you see. 

4.What was your growing up experience like?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: In one word I would say it has been wholesome. I have two of the most open-minded, hard-working, values-rich parents, and my siblings and I benefited tremendously from how they raised us. When it came to our education, they always found ways to support us. They encouraged us to act always with integrity; give back or volunteer for causes; travel to see the world and understand different cultures. As I have encountered people on my life’s journey across various countries I have come to appreciate and value my experiences growing up in my family home in Jamaica. It has certainly shaped who I am today. 

5. What does family life look like?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: My husband and I have two children — the elder child is very active and keeps us on our toes; the younger one is coming into her own as she approaches 18 months. We also spend a lot of time with our village as we are close to our families on both sides; lots of cousins, lots of family get-togethers. This has helped to get us through COVID-19 given the reduced social interactions. 

6. How do you spend your free time?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: Ha! Define “free time” please? If you mean what do I do when I am not working , well that’s easy. I spend most of my time with my family, particularly our two young kids. Seeing life through their eyes on a daily basis is both a fascinating and humbling experience. 

7. If you were shipwrecked on an island, what three things must be in your possession?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: A fully charged cellphone, food, and a Swiss army knife. 

8. If you should retire now, what other thing(s) would you want to accomplish?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: Well, I would like to expand TEACH Caribbean (educational NGO focused on rural high school students) to reach more students. We have deliberately kept it small to ensure we can manage this volunteer endeavour with our other life demands. TEACH Caribbean typically runs its maths and English summer bootcamp programme for four consecutive years with the same students (called a cohort), and so far there have been two cohorts, in 2006-2009 and 2013-2016. The impact each summer has been tremendous. A new cohort started in summer 2020 with an online summer school, and that was both rewarding and heartbreaking. 

9. How do you plan and start your day?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: I usually start my days waking up to my daughter’s morning greetings/calls to be taken out of her crib, changed and given her morning milk. Sometimes this may be preceded by a morning workout. 

10. What do you love about your life right now?

MCINTOSH ROBINSON: I love how much more family time I have gotten throughout this year with the onset of COVID-19 — working at home can be stressful but I feel even more plugged in to my children. I also love the increasing consciousness brought about by this period. Before COVID-19 I thought I had achieved a reasonable work life balance but this year has shown me how to be more present, particularly for my children. 

-Compiled by Kellaray Miles