Sheldon Watson, senior pre-underwriter and supervisor at Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited, is the institution’s 2013 team member of the year.

The announcement was made at the 42nd Sagicor Jamaica group annual corporate awards ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on March 20.

Watson, who has been with Sagicor since 2008, said he worked hard for the recognition.

"I have been employed by Sagicor for four and a half years and received the employee of the month award once in 2010, twice in 2011, twice in 2012 and the employee of the quarter award twice in 2012. I also won the Sagicor WOW customer service award in 2012," Watson told Career & Education.

"This achievement would not have been possible without the help of the Lord, my commitment to success, goal-oriented personality, along with the invaluable support from my parents, friends, team members and my manager, Andrea Taylor," Watson added.

Watson has a honours degree in banking and finance from the University of the West Indies. He started working with Sagicor as a temporary staff member, and after six weeks was offered a permanent position as a business clerk. In 2010, he was appointed to a pre-writer position and transferred to the New Business Department.

"With my commitment to excellence, sound leadership qualities and strong interpersonal skills, I fulfilled the role as acting team leader in 2012. During my journey, I was faced with the challenge of meeting and exceeding the expectations of our internal and external customers, as well as devising strategies to achieve optimum output, while maintaining a balanced work life," Watson, a graduate of Kingston College, told Career & Education.

Watson spent his youth growing up in Hannah Town and East Kingston, intent on pursuing his dreams despite his humble background.

"Exposed to the perils of the inner city, I was determined to challenge what appeared to be the norm and assumed the mandate to be an example of success in the inner city," Watson said.

Following the awards ceremony, he travelled to Barbados where he competed with other team members from the region to become an ambassador for the institution. He won US$2,500, a trophy, a trip for two to attend the 2014 Sagicor convention in Mexico, and was appointed an ambassador for Sagicor.

His victory in Barbados marks the fourth time Jamaica has brought home the top trophy. Former team member of the year representatives won in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.

"The natural desire to succeed and the inspiration derived from the scripture, Philippians 4:13, which says ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ [is what motivates me]," he said.

Update: Since his win, Sheldon has gone on to receive three (3) promotions and currently serves as the New Business Manager where his day-to-day includes overseeing the onboarding process for the Individual Life division Jamaica and Cayman, additionally, he was the co-chair for the innovative eLife which launched in 2019.

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