Movements of senior executives in the business sector continued as usual during the year 2000, largely because of promotions and re-organisations within certain industries. Below we highlight some of the major moves as reported throughout the year.
January: Two new managers have been appointed by the Coffee Industry Board (CIB) - Dr. Cecil Goodridge, to oversee the regulatory division, and Gonzalo Hernandez, to head the commercial and marketing division.
The state-owned oil refinery Petrojam appointed Winston Watson, an engineer and business manager, as its new managing director. He succeeded Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) group managing director Dr. Raymond Wright, who acted as interim managing director of Petrojam. Dr. Wright remains as group managing director. Mr. Watson served as general manager of Banks Breweries before taking up the new post.
Texaco Jamaica named Trevor Edgehill its new general manager to succeed David Hall. Mr. Edgehill, a Barbadian by birth, pursued a career in banking before working for Texaco Caribbean where he served in both marketing and finance at the company's Bahamas offices.
Local hotel and motor vehicle conglomerate, House of Issa, appointed Englishman Trevor Horwell as chief executive officer, and Struan McKenzie as executive vice-president to run the family-owned and operated business. Christoper Issa remains as co-chairman along with his cousin Paul Issa.
February: Ransford Smith, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Investment and Jamaica's permanent representative at the United Nations in Geneva, has been elected chairman of the World Trade Organisation's committee on trade and development.
Shareholders of National Commercial Bank (NCB) Group elected Dr. Nigel Clarke, a managing director of the Caribbean Investment Fund, and Michael HoSue, head of Mona Infomatix, to the board of the Group.
March: Air Jamaica senior vice-president, John Lewis, was promoted to become the airline's new executive vice-president and chief operating officer. He was to assist chief executive officer Chris Zacca in the management of the airline and would have specific responsibility for the day-to-day operations as well as for operational planning.
University of the West Indies (UWI) Professor Al Francis and general manager of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), Wain Iton, were reported to have resigned from the board of the Bank of Jamaica amid the controversy over the multi-million dollar salary being paid to central bank Governor Derick Latibeaudiere.
Managing director of National Commercial Bank (NCB), Jeffrey Cobham, was reported to be getting set to leave the institution. His position was likely to be one of three filled by overseas bankers as part of a European recruitment drive. In September, Christopher Lowe, a career banker, left his position as managing director of Barclay's Bank of Botswana, to take up the appointment as managing director with NCB.
April: Colin Steele, who became the first non-Matalon family member to head Mechala Group Jamaica when he was put in charge of day-to-day operations in March 1998, is to relinquish the role in June.
May: Former managing director of Rothman's International in Russia, Bill Telling, appointed chief executive officer of the Carreras Group of Companies. He succeeds John Ruland.
June: General manager of Alpha Financial Services, Roy Johnson, elected chairman of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), replacing Rita Humphries-Lewin, who served in that post for the past five years. Managing director of Edward Gayle and Company, Audrey Richards, was elected deputy chairman, replacing Christopher Berry, chairman and chief executive officer of Mayberry Investments.
C hartered accountant Raphael Gordon, is to suceed Rolf Lanigan as managing partner of KPMG Peat Marwick. Two other partners, Kelvin Roberts and John Atkinson also resigned.
August: Island Life Insurance Company has appointed Janet Sharp as vice-president and resident actuary. She joined the company as assistant actuary in 1989.
Financial consultant Rex James, who was ushered in as acting president of the National Investment Bank of Jamaica following the abrupt departure of Gavin Chen during a probe into the salaries of public sector executives, was reported to be negotiating a three-year contract with the Government. Mr. James later confirmed that he has been appointed the Bank's president.
A 19-year veteran of the tourism industry, Glen Huntington, has been appointed general manager of the 225-room Beaches Negril resort. Wayne Cummings, who has been with Sandals for the past 11 years, has been promoted to take over from Mr. Huntington as general manager at Sandals Inn.
Federal Express Corp. has promoted Juan N. Cento, a Cuban native and former president for Mexico and Central America, to the post of president of its Latin America and Caribbean division, succeeding Dianne M. Stokely.
September: National carrier Air Jamaica has appointed Howard Hall to succeed David Davies as chief financial officer.
October: The Shell Company in Jamaica has appointed Phillip Hibbert to the new position of retail real estate manager for the Caribbean and Central America, while Patrick King replaced him as retail sales manager. Dwight Lewis has been promoted to business and real estate analyst, while Rowano Mullings has been promoted to the post of non-industrial lubricants product co-ordinator.
Caribbean Cement Company said its general manager Kelvin Mahabir will swap jobs with Arun Goyal, the boss of the parent company Trinidad Cement Limited, for six months as part of a programme to broaden executive experience.
November: Leo Lawson, a registered professional engineer, has been appointed chairman of the National Contracts Commission, set up in October 1999 to oversee the award of public sector contracts.
N.E.M. Insurance Company Jamaica has appointed attorney-at-law George Magnus as chairman. Mr. Magnus is the senior partner in the firm Abendana & Abendana in Port Maria and a director of the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS).
The Financial Sector Adjustment Company (FINSAC) has agreed to pay Life of Jamaica's executive chairman, Dennis Lalor, a substantial compensation package for giving up his job at the cash-strapped company. A new board, headed by Dennis Morrison, Q.C. was later approved by shareholders who voted in favour of FINSAC pumping $2 billion into Life of Jamaica in exchange for an almost 80 per cent stake.
Gary Voss has been appointed to the boards of Guardian Holdings as well as its subsidiary Guardian Life of the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago.
December: Managing director of British Caribbean Insurance Company, Leslie Chang, has been elected the new chairman of the Jamaica Association of General Insurance Companies for the year 2000/2001.
A foundation member of Mechala Group Jamaica, Joseph A. Matalon, was reported to be giving up the post of president and chief executive officer, the Industrial Commercial Developments (ICD) Group having replaced Mechala Group as the operating holding company for all the subsidiaries previously owned directly or indirectly by the Matalon family. Joseph M. Matalon will assume the post of chief executive officer on January 1, 2001. Paul Hanworth will assume the role of executive vice-president and chief operating officer; Errol Powell will become senior vice-president and chief financial officer, and Allan Lewis will assume the position of senior vice-president in charge of financial services.
Incumbent Commissioner of Customs, Allison Moore, has been retained in that position, but Australian Darryn Jenkins has been appointed senior consultant with direct responsibility to oversee the modernisation of Jamaica's Customs Department.
The Council of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) has re-elected banker Peter Moses as its president. Pan-Jamaican chief executive officer Richard Byles; Manufacturers Merchant Bank head, Peter Melhado; and James Moss-Solomon, corporate affairs chief at Grace, Kennedy and Company, were elected vice-presidents.
