To mark the 130th anniversary of the London School of Economics (LSE), the university’s Jamaica Alumni Chapter joined forces with NCB Capital Markets Limited to host a high-stakes leadership dialogue last week at Kingston’s popular Danya’s Coffee Barrel. The gathering brought together two top foreign diplomats stationed in Jamaica, senior financial sector leaders and local LSE graduates for a wide-ranging discussion covering career development, bilateral ties and the island’s post-disaster recovery and long-term growth trajectory.
Both British High Commissioner to Jamaica Alicia Herbert and Canadian High Commissioner to Mark Berman, who are LSE alumni, opened up about how their time at the prestigious London institution shaped their careers in global diplomacy, before exchanging insights with fellow graduates on the decades of strong diplomatic ties their respective countries have maintained with Jamaica, and laying out shared visions for future collaboration.
Berman outlined an optimistic outlook for Jamaica’s progress, pointing to the Jamaican government’s existing strategic plans to modernize the national agricultural sector and shift it toward a more technology-driven model. In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which hit the island in late October 2025, the newly established National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) is already overseeing recovery and resilience-focused infrastructure investments. Berman noted that this post-disaster context opens a unique window to build back better, with Canada positioned to contribute through both public sector funding and private sector investment.
For Herbert, Hurricane Melissa made landfall just weeks after she officially began her posting as Britain’s top diplomat to Jamaica, which has placed climate resilience and sustainable development at the very top of her policy priorities. These priorities will guide all British development cooperation with Jamaica throughout her tenure. She argued that the widespread devastation caused by the storm has pushed national discussions of resilience into the mainstream, forcing stakeholders across government and the private sector to ask critical questions: What defines truly resilient infrastructure? What structural changes are needed to build a shock-resistant national economy? Far from being just a disaster, Herbert framed Hurricane Melissa as a potential turning point that could shift Jamaica onto a more sustainable long-term development path.
Dr. Leo-Rey Gordon, head of economic and financial research and analysis at Jamaica’s National Commercial Bank, also spoke at the event, extending congratulations to LSE on 130 years of impactful global engagement and its longstanding productive connections with the Caribbean region. He noted that NCB Capital Markets was proud to partner on the anniversary event, highlighting that LSE has built a century-long legacy of nurturing global thinkers and leaders who prioritize building strong, effective institutions that drive inclusive, sustainable growth.
Gordon added that the cross-sector leadership dialogue reinforced a core shared principle: innovation, cross-stakeholder collaboration, and purpose-driven global-local partnerships are all essential drivers of national advancement. This focus aligns directly with NCB Capital Markets’ own core strategic priorities, he said, as the institution works alongside public and private partners to build a stronger, more prosperous Jamaica.
The event closed with attendees reaffirming their commitment to leveraging alumni networks and international partnerships to support Jamaica’s development goals in the wake of climate shocks and ongoing global economic shifts.