JN Bank confirms Luwanna Williams as new managing director

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Luwanna Williams has been appointed the new managing director of JN Bank Limited. Williams' appointment takes effect on Monday, September 7, more than five months after former bank head Leesa Kow retired following a 22-year career at the mutual-owned society. Former JN Bank chairman Keith Levy acted as managing director between Kow's departure and Williams' appointment.

The new JN Bank head is a senior finance executive who has more than 20 years of experience across the financial sector in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. She previously served under the Jamaica National Group, which included a corporate finance manager role at JN Fund Managers Limited (now Barita Fund Managers Limited) up to mid 2020. Williams is the second woman to head JN Bank since it became a commercial bank in February 2017.

Williams' most recent role saw her spend nearly four years as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Proven Wealth Limited, with responsibility for Jamaica and the Bahamas up to March 2026. Her career began at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) before taking on other senior roles across the financial sector, including a stint at JMMB Bank (Jamaica) Limited. The confirmation of the new JN Bank MD comes in the same week Sheree Martin was confirmed as the CEO of National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCBJ) on September 1.

Martin acted as CEO of NCBJ following the resignation of Bruce Bowen in January 2026. With Williams and Martin now heads of JN Bank and NCBJ, six out of eight commercial banks in Jamaica are now headed by women. The other women banking heads include Audrey Tugwell Henry at the Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited, Chorvelle Johnson Cunningham at Sagicor Bank Jamaica Limited, Annique Dawkins at CIBC Caribbean Bank (Jamaica) Limited and Eva Lewis at Citibank, N.A.

JMMB Bank (Jamaica) is currently headed by Jerome Smalling while First Global Bank Limited is headed by Radcliffe Daley. Jacqueline Sharp was the only woman to head a commercial bank in 2016 when there were only six commercial banks. The retirement and departure of several executive leaders has seen a shift where three-quarters of the commercial banking space is now overseen by a woman head.