Port of Spain, Trinidad, September 19, 2023 – Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) has announced the appointment of Houston Ross as its new Chief Information and Digital Transformation Officer, effective June 1, 2023. In his new role, Ross will be responsible for spearheading digital transformation initiatives and driving innovation across the RFHL Group.

Ross has over 20 years of experience successfully leading digital initiatives at prominent financial institutions. Before joining RFHL, Mr. Ross held a position as an executive committee member at Paidy Inc. in Tokyo, Japan – a prestigious FinTech start-up. In this role he effectively spearheaded numerous ground-breaking endeavours, including revamping the cloud-based payment platform utilized by over 8 million customers, integrating a post payment service into Amazon Japan, and orchestrating the biggest-ever exit of a foreign-owned start-up in Japan’s history. He has also held Board level roles in banking and insurance industries within Asia and Europe, leading regional and global transformation initiatives.

Commenting on Ross’ appointment, Nigel Baptiste, RFHL Group President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Houston is certainly poised to be a significant asset to our leadership team. His deep understanding of digital strategy coupled with his commitment to innovation, makes him well-placed to accelerate our digital transformation and bolster our agility and responsiveness in an ever-evolving business environment. ”

Ross expressed similar enthusiasm about joining the RFHL Group, saying, “The Republic Group is an organisation known for both its rich history and progressive vision. I look forward to working with such a talented team to drive technological excellence and deliver exceptional value to our customers. Our goal is to ensure Republic Financial Holdings remains at the forefront of the financial industry’s digital landscape.”

Houston Ross holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Science, Management Information Systems from Barrington University, Mobile, Alabama, United States of America.