During the commemorative 10th-anniversary gala and awards event held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM) marked this significant occasion by bestowing honours in six distinct categories, unveiling an Endowment Fund and 10 scholarships.
Addressing the gala, Executive Director of the MSBM, Dr David McBean announced that the scholarships (five undergraduate and five postgraduate) will be awarded to students who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen field of study.
“These scholarships will be named in honour of some of our outstanding pioneers, staff and other stakeholders”, Dr McBean explained as he urged companies to contribute to scholarships for students, both to celebrate excellence and to help needy students complete their courses of study.
Dr McBean announced “the launch of the MSBM Endowment fund to be started with $500 million dollars of MSBM assets”.
He invited the private sector in particular “to match or exceed our initial investment, so that next year when we gather, the executive director can announce that we have an endowment fund not of half-billion dollars, but in excess of one billion dollars.”
“These funds will be used to ensure that the next generation of academics and students will be well prepared to meet the challenges of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, which will mean that both the public and private sectors will continue to reap the benefits of world-class teaching, learning and research at the world-ranked MSBM,” McBean said.
The 10th-anniversary gala honoured former heads and executive directors of the MSBM, including Professors Randolph Williams, Gordon Shirley, Alvin Wint, Neville Ying, Evan Duggan, Paul Simmonds, Densil Williams; Doctors Anne Crick, Noel Cowell, Cezley Sampson and current Executive Director Dr David McBean.
Posthumous awards were also named in recognition of the Late Dr Marshall Hall, Dr George Wadinambiaratchi and Locksley Lindo.
Turning to corporate Jamaica, the MSBM presented awards to “Outstanding Business Leaders” Courtney Campbell, JP, President & CEO, VM Group; Jeffrey Hall, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Pan Jamaica Group Limited; Senator Don Wehby, CD, Group CEO, GraceKennedy Limited and Christopher Zacca, CD, President & CEO, Sagicor Group.
Recognised in the “Emerging Business Leaders” category were Kimala Bennet, Founder & CEO, The LAB; Berisford Grey, President & CEO, Sygnus Capital and Xesus Johnson, CEO, Supreme Ventures Gaming Limited. Everton Anderson CD, CEO, National Health Fund was named “Outstanding Public Sector CEO.
In the “Distinguished Alumnus” category were Earl Jarrett, CEO, of Jamaica National Group; Audrey Tugwell Henry, President & CEO, of Scotia Group Jamaica and Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman, Chief of Defence Staff, Jamaica Defence Force.
The MSBM also recognised their “Business Partners”, George Willie, Philanthropist; the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development and the Vincent Hosang Family Foundation.
Commenting on the MSBM 10th anniversary Gala awardees Dr McBean said that the selection committee had the arduous but pleasurable task of whittling down to 11 our outstanding awardees in business and the public sector, based on merit.
“You are all leaders who typify the values and performance that we would wish for our graduates to aspire to, and I wish to applaud you.”Of the nine private sector leaders, and two public sector leaders more than half are graduates of the UWI and MSBM, and even if you exclude our Distinguished Alumni (my favourite category) this would still hold true.
“If our students are our greatest products as a professional school, then we have done extremely well”, McBean added.
