On behalf of the staff both past and present of the former Ministry of Industry and International Business, I wish to express sincerest gratitude to the Most High for the gift that Robert was to us and by extension to the Government of Barbados for the past twenty-six years.

Robert joined the civil service in 1996 as an Economist in the then Ministry of International Trade and Business. In 2003, he was appointed to the post of Business Development Officer and then in 2007 to the post of Senior Business Development Officer. Robert first acted in the post of Deputy Director in January 2012. He acted as Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture in 2020.  He acted as Director of International Business in 2015, 2016, 2017 and most recently from July 2021 to January 2022. Robert’s substantive post was the post of Deputy Director.

In spite of all these different posts that Robert held, Robert would tell you that he was first and foremost a civil servant…….”Here to serve”…..he would say at the end of almost every telephone conversation with Corporate and Trust Service Providers or even other Regulators …….and he would extend this mantra to those who were present in the room as well……….”We are here to serve!”

And serve he did. A colleague recounted to me that she thought of Robert as a humanitarian of sorts. A memory that stood out for her was the morning of November 21, 2021 when the fire alarm went off and being physically challenged, she took her time to descend the stairs from the 8^th floor. She indicated that Mr. Folkes was committed to ensuring that she exited the building safely and never left her side, even though she kept insisting that he should not compromise his own safety. She quoted John 13:15 in her recollection, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Service- was what Robert Folkes was all about. I am sure many people across Barbados knew him by his vehicle registration number. Robert could not drive from one bus stop to another without stopping to offer someone a lift. In fact, the person did not have to be at a bus stop, they just had to look like they needed a ride. I am not joking. This picking up people would happen on his way to work, on his way to meetings, on his way home, on his way to church ……..once he was in his van. For those of you who did not know this about him, this might sound strange but I assure you this was indeed exactly how it transpired. It was so much his thing to do that we teased him about it in the office. He would never say much in response to the teasing. But he let me know one time when I was asking him if he had no fear, that he had been given the grace to carry out such a service.

Director Kevin and PLO Amanda recounted such an incident during travel to Kenya for Double Taxation Agreement negotiations. After a day of negotiation, they were walking around Nairobi when Robert informed them that he had to return to the hotel and would rejoin them. Fifteen minutes or so later, Robert sped past them in the company of a local. It was clear from the interaction between the man and Robert that the man did not speak English. He also appeared to be homeless. Suffice it to say, Kevin and Amanda took after Robert and his companion, more than a bit uneasy since they had no idea where this escapade would lead them. I wasn’t there, but I can very well imagine Robert out front with this stranger, and our two legal colleagues trying to keep up, thinking all the while that this was madness and not very pleased with Robert. Robert and the stranger finally slowed in front of a KFC and Robert bought the stranger a snack box. This was Robert Folkes.

Robert was an uplifter. He did not miss an opportunity to encourage, lift someone’s spirits, or bless them. From his cheery “Blessed good morning” to “Bless you and the family”, “Have a wonderful Day”, “You go girl”, ………he spoke light into your life. And this was irrespective of whatever he may have been going through personally. Workmates talked about how he encouraged them when they were experiencing tough times. How he prayed with them though loss, through sadness, through depression, through anger. And the thing is he didn’t have to be your bosom buddy to do this. He just had to recognize that you needed a word that he could offer. Some of our newest staff members spoke about how he had encouraged them in their short time at the IBU. One of them told me he said to her the first day they met that she had a strong personality and was a born leader. Visitors to the office be it, the lady who services the plants, the interns, the couriers, coworkers’ children……it really did not matter who it was, Robert would leave them with a positive word.

Robert was a Thinker and very analytical. You could bet your bottom dollar that before Robert came to a decision, it had been turned over and over in his mind. Of course this led to overthinking sometimes. His signature on the licences/permits was one such thing. Robert was very particular about his signature on these licences. From the type of pen he used to the ink colour…and when he was finally satisfied with the signature (which always looked the same to us), his smile lit up his whole face. So for those of you in the sector, when you see the signature you know a lot went into it. As it related to issues being faced by the sector, he often had a well thought-out position that many may not have understood. His approach was one that was never defensive, he was able to see a situation from both sides and could see long-term how what was being perceived as harm to the sector could redound to its benefit in the long run. Robert was very mindful of Barbados as a country giving up what he termed “political capital” when it was not necessary in negotiations with others and spoke a lot about the importance of us knowing what we were worth. He often reminded me that as a country, we did not necessarily need to attract 1000 companies but because of our size a small number of entities doing well, could benefit the country tremendously.

Robert had strong views on American politics especially issues surrounding the modern-day Civil Rights Movement for Blacks in the US. He was very conscious of the way the media manipulated information and so when he did speak on these issues, I know he was coming from a sound, considered position. Robert did not speak for speaking sake. He was also very aware of group dynamics and there were just some discussions Robert would never have in a crowd. On the contrary, he would talk forever if given a chance in a one-on-one discussion. I am sure many of you can attest to this.

Robert loved sports. He enjoyed the Olympics, especially the athletics. He used to talk about his days at the Waterford Institution( Combermere) as an athlete and InterLeague Games as they were called then. He would often recount his football days at UWI or playing in his neighbourhood and talk about the lessons he learnt on hindsight. He thought that being part of a Sports Team had been one of the best life teachers and he used football analogies to describe some of the principles he stood by. For example, Robert would say that -The best player was not necessarily a good captain. The captain should be someone who could inspire and influence others (2) He also viewed consistency and loyalty as traits to be rewarded and explained that sometimes the best player imbued by his prowess and skill would not turn up for training but would turn up when there was a match, and that on those occasions he would ensure that the faithful substitute who showed up to every game and practice got a play that day. To Robert, the Team was everything.

Just last November I was to make a presentation to the Forum on Harmful Tax Practices for the first time. Robert had helped me late the night before to prepare but he was not feeling his best and I did not expect him to come. He could have joined the meeting virtually. But he turned up, because his Team was playing. That I will never forget.

Martin Luther King said- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”.

We have had some challenging times at the IBU. There have been times when staff morale was at an all- time low. Times when there were impossible deadlines to meet. Times when Robert as a leader was under intense pressure. Through it all, Robert remained steadfast. His faith in God surely kept him grounded. He would NEVER attribute blame to others. He used a principled approach when discussing issues and would never call names. His respect for authority and leadership never waivered and his love for people remained strong. He believed in second chances, and third and fourth. Even when I thought he had been disrespected and told him as much, he would explain that his way was never to show up people when and if the opportunity presented itself, there was much more to be gained from exercising restraint in those moments. He thought those were teaching moments and that people would remember. This was Robert’s way…he sought to build people up and never tear them down……a way of forgiveness and love.

People came first for Mr. Folkes. Robert could tell me the strengths of all of our colleagues, even the new ones. That was I think, because he was such a keen listener. Director Hunte also speaks about how attentive Robert and how smooth Robert ensured that his own (Kevin’s) transition to Directorship was.

Robert was all about family and he was truly “fussy” about his. He understood the importance of cherishing your loved ones and on evenings he would tell me……” Why you don’t go home to your family?”, or “Say hello to the family.” He never missed a beat. Robert understood that people were not robots and had important connections outside of work.

There were 2 words Robert Folkes used a lot……….interesting and exciting. When Robert did not want to commit to a response, he would comment that “he thought x or y was interesting”.  On the other hand, Robert was excited about everything else. There was a passion that he exuded in these instances and a joy that lit him up. Robert was particularly excited about the way forward for the IBU and the sector. He would urge me not to forget where we had come from and to view what we were doing as building blocks that someone else would take over and make better someday. He talked about enjoying the process and always tried to get us to share his excitement about some of the most mundane or even tedious tasks.

Former Director Venner describes Robert as a good friend, work colleague and a man who had a passion for God. He remembers Robert and will forever treasure their relationship forged over years dealing with challenging international business issues. He says that Robert’s support was invaluable and his parting words after finishing an assignment were always……” We have made it in Jesus’ Name” which he declared with His head and hands raised to the heavens.

Robert’s purpose extended to saving the Government money. He was draconian about turning off the lights in the building and ensuring that staff did not waste water in the kitchen. In fact he never turned on the lights in his office……I mean never. I Some called it a batcave……and in the lunchroom if you ever moved your hand from under the stream of water, he would appear from nowhere and turn it off until you were ready for it again. All this he did in a light-hearted manner but with a consistency that you know he meant it.

Robert was simply love……….his passing on Valentine’s Day I believe is testament to this. He made a lasting impression on all of us who he came into contact with.

Robert McArthur Folkes, my colleague, my friend, you will be missed by your IBU family. However we know that you’ve now got your wings and are excited and flying high with the best of them. Look at how this played out Robert…

These words were penned by the Staff at IBU, Spoken by Mrs. Sangene Watkins-Diagne and deeply felt by ALL who knew Robert.