Grace Silvera, reflective. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer GRACE SILVERA is one of Jamaica's most wanted women - she is 'wicked' in her craft, 'dangerous' in her field and 'baad' in her abilities to get things done. And given her recent Peer Award for Public Relations Personality of the Year, she is even more threatening to other
companies.
Two corporate giants battled earlier this year to get and keep her on their side - in the end, she chose to remain as Communications Director at Red Stripe.
She smiles when she is referred to as "the Red Stripe lady," but this title means she has done her job well. And thousands of other
people know this too. From the shopkeeper in the obscure rural town, to the Vice Presidents of the other companies who wish she was their Communications Director.
The headlines told the story of how Cable and Wireless Jamaica Ltd. was almost successful in "luring" her over to their side.
"People come up to me all the time and say, 'You're the Red Stripe Lady'!" she said smiling.
Recalling one of her career high points, she noted, "We were visiting a rural community when a very 'rootsy' man told me he wanted some posters for his shop and I said sure and took his numbers. The next day when I called him to let him know we're sending them down, he was so surprised, he couldn't believe it!"
But this is normal for the lady who says she appreciates every single customer. And not only the customers, but everything else that has to do with the Red Stripe brand as well.
"I've been living and breathing the brand. There are synergies between the brand and myself. What I do is an extension of my personality. As a matter of fact it is easier to do a job that suits your personality. That way your work is enriched by natural and professional commitment," Miss Silvera said.
Commitment is a word that she utters frequently. In fact that word, written in bold white on a striking black background, dominates the left wall of her office.
A TRADITIONALIST
She looks much younger than her 39 years, but eyes that sparkled a moment before seemed to grow dark with wisdom as her philosophy of life and work flowed.
"I'm a traditionalist at heart and believe we should respect and draw from the wisdom of those who have gone before," Miss Silvera said.
Some of those who have gone before include Carl Wint, noted Gleaner Associate Editor; Paul Geddes, creator of Red Stripe beer, and Leighton 'Dickie' Coke, former community relations and sports administration manager at D&G. These men were some of the mentors and role models to which she gave credit during the hour-short conversation at her peppy office on Spanish Town road.
She credits Carl Wint with breaking her into the field of journalism, believing in her and teaching her how to read "everything from the Bible to the Playboy magazine." She lauds Dickie Coke's successful personification of the Great Jamaican Beer and tells another story that she heard from Paul Geddes.
"I will never forget how Mr. Geddes told me of a little old lady who used a home sweet home lamp to write a letter to him. He also had another letter from a Duke; both were framed and hung side by side on his wall. This is the legacy I walked into," Miss Silvera said.
Born to be at the top, the former head girl, high school valedictorian, national speech champion (she attended Port Maria and Ardenne High) and now the only female director at the Jamaican operation of Diageo, Red Stripe's parent company, says she is a typical Jamaican.
"I consider myself to be a good mix of what a typical Jamaican is. I'm from a humble background in St. Mary and I know what it is like to swim in the river and things like that," Miss Silvera said.
And, if by "typical" she means tenacious, ambitious and God-fearing then she's right. Miss Silvera has moved from being a reporter at The Daily News (now defunct) to being a public relations officer at Air Jamaica, then western regional administrator for Red Stripe. Since then, she held five different management positions within the company before becoming director - accomplishing all of this in 20 years.
It is common for young women to walk up to her and say, "I want to be like you." A compliment which challenges her to be even more mindful of the responsibilities that come with being a public personality. But the young 'woman' on whom it is most critical to make an impression, already has her own opinions.
"My daughter (eight-year-old Natalee) was playing with her friend the other day when she said, 'be careful, don't disturb my mommy, she's a celebrity.' I seized the opportunity to explain to her about my job and my role and that mommy is foremost mommy to her, not a celebrity."
She then explained to the Flair team that, "Grace Silvera is just a vehicle through which this great product is being promoted. If I were selling nails at a hardware store, no one would know me, so it's not about me, it's about the brand."
She is noted for such expressions of humility.
Embracing the spirituality that is the inheritance of most Jamaicans, Miss Silvera places God at "the centre of (my) universe."
"I'm very spiritually conscious. I read books that help me through the valleys and over the mountains. It's very important to feed the spirit, it keeps me focused, motivated and charged," she said listing, I'm too Blessed to be Stressed by Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook and Acts of Faith by Iyanla Vanzant as two of the inspirational works she's read.
BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING
Some would think that some of the 'mountains and valleys' of being a woman in corporate Jamaica would include the perennial struggle to break through the glass ceiling. But Miss Silvera doesn't allow herself to focus on that inhibition.
"Though the glass ceiling is a reality and women throughout the world have to contend with this, I'm not consumed by it. I'm consumed by my work. Yes, there are some things that need changing but at Red Stripe we don't live and breathe those issues. Over the past four years we have increased the number of women managers strictly on the basis of their talent and performance which, once recognised, is rewarded," Ms. Silvera said firmly.
The 'Red Stripe Lady', who made it clear that she is no female Don Quixote indicated that her love for her work, motivation by new challenges and the adventure of launching into new frontiers are what will guide her decisions as she moves forward.
No doubt accumulating more accolades along the way.
