Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor

Bill Clarke

I am a workaholic; I will fall asleep at the computer; I will send emails to employees on Christmas Eve because I am so fixated on getting the job done.

William 'Bill' Clarke is the last of a dying breed of men who are not afraid to be unpopular. He has become famous for his controversial statements but, as head of Scotiabank, he has defied the odds and remained the guiding force in a job naysayers said he'd lose under two years. He shrugs off the negatives and continues to serve his company and nation in his unique way. Fresh from receiving the Order of Jamaica for sterling contribution to banking and public service, on Heroes Day, Mr. Clarke sat for a candid chat with Flair.

BE: What do you think about the current debate about why boys are doing worse than girls educationally?

WBC: It's not that they lack ability, but they get carried away by some of the environmental conditions around them, while girls in the same conditions excel. It says something is wrong with the way boys are oriented. We face two sets of challenges: First, most boys grow up without parents. There is a grandmother or a mother who they do not listen to. There is no father figure or mentor. Second, they tend to be motivated by the DJ/dancehall culture. At school, the ability to excel does not emerge because they believe hustling is the way out. Boys who have both parents present are sheltered by mothers who make girls do domestic chores while boys watch television and play games. Socialisation at all strata of society mitigates the boys' ability to understand the real world.

BE: Do you do any mentoring of young men and what do you think is the problem?

WBC: I don't, but we at Scotia do a lot to bring them up to the standards of the girls, who generally do better. In other cultures, boys are socialised to be helpful and do chores like cooking. We have tried to create environments through scholarship and mentorship programmes in the island's schools. Ironically, men who have tried to mentor boys encounter difficulty in getting them to sit and talk. I encourage every young person I encounter.

BE: Are you a country boy, and if so, what are some of the country values that have helped you along the way?

WBC: I am a country boy I come from St. Dacre in St. Ann, but I did not grow up with my parents. I grew up with my aunt and uncle who were childless, I was thought of as spoilt but I wasn't. Country life was tough in a poor rural village and to get out of that environment, you had to do your best at school with the limited resources available. I learnt very early that if you had the opportunity, use it. I stopped at fifth form because my parents could not afford sixth form. I wanted to become a lawyer but did not have the funds for law school in England, so I decided to work for a while to make some money to pay for school. I went to Scotia in Brown's Town. That was 39 years ago.

I learnt to eat what we grew on the farm; wear what I had and be satisfied. We listened to a short-wave radio because we had no television and we read a lot. I developed a sense of independence that I still have today. My aunt and uncle were devout Christians who attended church all day Sunday. I did not like that. I had just started high school at age 11, when one Sunday my aunt gave me the choice of going to church with them or cooking dinner, so I chose to cook the dinner.

Bank of Nova Scotia (JA) Managing Director William (Bill) Clarke at his Office. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER

BE: So you are an excellent cook ?

WBC: I used to be, but I haven't done it in a while but name it, I can cook it. From that early stage I was committed, once I set myself a task and I am not afraid to stand alone. I am not going to join the crowd. If something does not make sense to me, I will not do it. Very often, I am perceived as stubborn but I have to be convinced that something makes sense and throughout life I question things and if I don't get a reasonable explanation as to why it should be done, I am not going to do it.

BE: Having not gone to university in the traditional sense, how did you chart your course educationally over the 39 years?

WBC: The bank provides a lot of educational opportunities through the Institute of Canadian Bankers. We do tertiary courses through distance learning and that's equivalent to a bachelor's degree. I became a fellow of the institute, and when I went to the bank in Canada in 1992, I enrolled at Ryerson where I did more courses, and later, I went on to do the senior managers programme at Harvard Business School. I worked and learnt on the job. The bank also gave us opportunities such as the auditing that I learnt at various jurisdictions worldwide. It has been a good career. Things are so competitive today, the only thing I would do differently is get a solid education first.

BE: What do you do for fun, are you a member of any social club, church, lodge or charity organisation? Any serious hobby? How do you unwind?

WBC: No, I have never joined any, I don't have the time. For fun, I read a lot and listen to music and I love cars, so I will go for a ride in a fast car. I am a workaholic; I will fall asleep at the computer; I will send emails to employees on Christmas Eve because I am so fixated on getting the job done. I block out everything else. At the end of the day, I have ultimate responsibility. When I travel, I will go to the theatre in London's West End or New York's Broadway. I don't profile and I go out socially where the bank's business takes me. I have lunch directly from home every day. Many places you go, you cannot speak your mind, so I stay away because you cannot offend someone in their home. My activities are all related to the bank and its subsidiaries.

BE: What do you want your legacy to be when you retire on the bank's 125th anniversary?

WBC: I would like to see that I have contributed significantly through the bank to the nation's health and education as well as its overall development. I would like young people to see us as the employer of choice and I would like to have made a significant contribution to the development of SMEs.

BE: How do you feel about the national honour you received?

WBC: I do not work to receive awards. The things I do in the normal course of my work are done to the best of my ability and for the benefit of others. But I feel privileged and grateful to get it; the bank is my life.