Imagine being promoted three times in one year, nominated twice for Team Member of the Year with countless other wins for Team Member Of the Month and Team Member of the Quarter? Such has been the journey of Stephen Levy. In today's Feature Friday, we revisit his 2018 win as Team Member of the Year and the journey that brought him there.
The evening of March 22, 2018 is one that Stephen Levy, business analyst at Sagicor Group Jamaica, will never forget.That was when the 32-year-old was named Team Member of the Year for 2017 at the company's annual corporate awards.

“No one word can truly capture how I felt in that moment, but afterwards, when the reality set in, I was overjoyed, yet humbled for receiving this recognition,” he said.

Levy spent his formative years residing in the communities of Gordon Town, August Town and Water House. As a child, he aspired to be a lawyer or doctor, but as he tells it, as he pursued higher education he realised how multifaceted his abilities were and decided to be open to other career options.

In 2007, upon completing a bachelor's degree in finance with a minor in marketing at the University of Technology, Jamaica, Levy started his career journey at Sagicor as a new business clerk. It was there that he uncovered his penchant as a creative and critical thinker.

“I am always looking for more efficient ways of doing things; I like to be innovative and utilise my problem-solving skills to find solutions to challenges that may come up,” he said.

Sagicor lent credence, commending the young man at the awards ceremony for his perceptiveness, willingness, and innovative skills, which it said contributed to the company's overall commendable results.

“Stephen has demonstrated that hard work, commitment, teamwork and proper work ethics are key elements to great accomplishments,” the Team Member of the Year announcement said.

Among his major achievements during the period for which he was recognised as Team Member of the Year, Levy led the testing of the Sagicor Life Annuity Plan which was effectively implemented in Jamaica and Cayman; was involved in the successful implementation of the auto settlement feature which improved the service delivery of the Individual Life Division's onboarding process; and led specific areas of several other strategic projects aimed at improving operational efficiencies and ultimately improving client service and experience.

He completed a Masters of Science Degree with honours in computer-based management information systems at The University of the West Indies, Mona, in 2017, and has his eyes set on further developing his skill sets with business analyst and project management certification. The Excelsior High School past student is also considering a doctoral degree and has aspirations of becoming an educator/lecturer in the future.

“I also want to start a foundation, which would take the form of a scholarship and lunch programme at my alma mater, as I was fortunate to have benefitted from numerous scholarships and grants in high school. I was also a beneficiary of the lunch programme and I would love to give back and pay it forward so that others can benefit as well,” Levy shared.

The young man is also involved in civic duties, being an active volunteer for the Sagicor Foundation, and serving as an executive member of the Table Tennis Jamaica Business House Association, Bethel Bible Way Apostolic Church, and as president of the National Youth International Bible Way Jamaica Organization.

Describing himself as creative, intuitive, passionate, meticulous and driven, Stephen said he plans to continue on the path of growth and professional development within the Sagicor Group, giving his best in whatever role(s) he is assigned and adding value in whichever capacity he can.

In addition to this faith, Levy credits his mother, who he lost at a young age, and the values she instilled in him as his driving motivation and influence.

“Even though she is no longer here with me, I have never stopped thinking about how much more beautiful life would be if she were still here and I have always strived to be the man she would be proud of,” he said.

“My faith in God motivates me, and He has given me His word in Philippians 4:13 that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me',” Levy added.

He holds true to his guiding principles that no task is too great once initiative and creativity are applied.

Since his win, Stephen has been promoted to Assistant Manager, Group Analytics & Revenue Solutions where his day-to-day includes managing leads across the Group and our internal referral culture. 

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