About Us

The Cherry Tree Trust is a privately funded charity (charity no. 1014) established 18 January 2011 in Barbados. The Trust operates solely on funds received from private donations and uses its earnings to cover administrative costs. Charles Pink, one of the founders, is a retired banker who spent seven years living in the Caribbean. Charles developed an appreciation for the Caribbean and wanted to contribute to its development. His idea was a simple one: Foster growth by finding a way to support small businesses.

Small and micro businesspeople typically find starting out or expanding a business very challenging. This is usually due to difficulty in obtaining funds as they are unable to provide security/collateral or trading records. The Cherry Tree Trust recognized this need, and under our newly established Cherry Tree Lending brand, we continue to provide small and micro- businesses with the opportunity to start or expand their businesses. We offer unsecured loans at a low-interest rate to qualified applicants. This ultimately contributes to the ongoing socio- economic development of Barbados.

Vision

To foster economic and social growth by enabling small businesses to get started or to get support to grow.

Mission

To address an unmet need within the marketplace, thereby fostering economic and social growth by enabling small businesses to either get established or to support their growth.

Values

Ambition - We are ambitious for our beneficiaries and continuously partner with them to realize their potential.

Passion - We care about what we do and what our beneficiaries do.

Partnership - We build close, long term, personalized relationships based on trust.

Meet the Team

Peter Hall

Chairman, Director & Trustee

Peter is a Jamaican, born in Antigua now living in Barbados. The Caribbean is home to him in so many ways. Peter came to Barbados in 2002 and led the Human Resources and subsequently the Marketing fun... more

Renee Kowlessar

Director & Trustee

Growing up in Barbados, Renee swam and played tennis competitively. Going to McGill University in Montreal and securing a job after graduation with one of the then big 6 accounting firms opened Renee'... more

Ella Hoyos

Director & Trustee

Ella N. Hoyos, is a seasoned Attorney-at-Law in private practice. She currently heads the Rockley Law Group, a boutique commercial law firm. She is also a qualified Mediator and Arbitrator. She start... more

Lana Alleyne

Director

Lana is an experienced Marketer who has worked on both the advertising agency and corporate business side and therefore knows how to speak the language of both. With a career of over 20 years in Mark... more

Tyson Carmichael

Director

Tyson is a Program & Project Management leader on large-scale projects in business transformation, Mergers & Acquisitions , and restructuring. He leverages his technology background in his profession... more

Joannie Worrell

CEO

Joannie is a retired career banker with over 40 years of banking experience across regulatory, governance and auditing roles. She has served with two regional Central Banks and a Regional Commercial B... more

Sasha Sheehy

Director

Sasha is an executive and life coach with 15+ years of leadership experience across the Caribbean. With a background in finance, operations, and people development, she supports individuals and teams... more

Ezlon Griffith

Credit Manager

Ezlon is a retired banker who spent 38 years in the industry with Barclays Bank/FirstCaribbean (33) and Butterfield Bank (5). He is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of the UK and als... more

Deborah Mahabir-Yearwood

Treasurer

Deborah is Trinidadian by birth and made Barbados her home for the past 28 years. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration specializing in Finance and Business Strategy and worked in the telec... more

Beneficiary Testimonials

I needed a loan to purchase a vehicle to transport my plants and equipment to and from the nursery and to clients, so my cousin, Mark, introduced me to The Cherry Tree Trust.

The application process was fast and easy. When I got the loan from The Cherry Tree Trust, it helped to grow my business even more. Thanks Cherry Tree Trust; you guys are great!

Duane Ifill - BENEFICIARY FROM DECEMBER 2019

SeSe Landscaping

Randyman’s is a one stop shop for general maintenance, landscaping and pressure washing needs. Backed by 14 years’ experience, we provide service to householders/individuals, businesses and real estate companies.

It was always our dream to take the business to the next level by extending our product range to include a Garden Shop and Plant Nursery. We were unsuccessful in acquiring funding until ironically we were referred to TCTT by one of the lending organisations who had turned us down.

We would definitely recommend the team at TCTT to any new or existing businesses as their overall professionalism, knowledge, efficiency and genuine care for the customer far exceeds any that we have ever encountered so far in Barbados. They gave us hope again that they are still organizations out there that have the best interest of small businesses at heart. Kudos to the team, keep up the excellent work!

Randy and Trudi Duncan

RANDYMAN’S GARDEN SHOP AND PLANT NURSERY - BENEFICIARIES FROM DECEMBER 2014

Fifth Element Designs Inc. is a clothing design and distribution company of the brand The 5th Element – www.the5thelementexpereince.com. The company really got off the ground in 2013 with a timely loan from The Cherry Tree Trust. I’d seen their flyer at the office of the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries, and after reading it, realised it was a great solution to partially finance my company. Obtaining an unsecured loan is virtually impossible from traditional banks and other financial institutions and it is wonderful that The Cherry Tree Trust provides this unique and invaluable service.

The process of application was surprisingly easy, and I was very pleased to be selected for the interview process. I was also very surprised at the speedy reply after the interview. It was a positive one, so of course I was ecstatic! The short length of time I had to wait for disbursement was also a happy surprise.

It is a tremendous boost to my professional and personal confidence that the management team of The Cherry Tree Trust, which is made up of very high caliber professionals with international standards, could believe in my vision and be willing to help me achieve it.

I would wholly recommend The Cherry Tree Trust as a funding option to serious business start-ups.

Andrea King

FIFTH ELEMENT DESIGNS INC. – BENEFICIARY FROM APRIL 2013