Lanny Reynolds, who died last week, aged 73, was one of those unassuming, easy-going and self-effacing persons whom it is easy to underestimate.

And he perhaps liked it this way. For beyond that persona was a sharp, capable and quietly tough and skilful executive, evidenced by a long and successful tenure as general manager of the Jamaica National Building Society.

It was during Mr Reynolds' stint that JN firmly established itself as the largest and leading building society in Jamaica and began the process of diversification that took it into other financial services. But diversification was built on a sound and prudent foundation, so that when its peers fumbled during the financial sector meltdown of the late 1990s, JN remained sound.

But there was something more profoundly important about Lanny Reynolds than his skill as a chartered accountant or his achievements in business. He was a good, decent human being, who believed in people and treated them with respect and who loved to dance to Jamaican ska and rocksteady music.