分类： business

In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastation, Jamaica’s human resource professionals are being positioned as pivotal figures in the nation’s reconstruction efforts. The Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica (HRMAJ) has strategically recalibrated its 45th Annual Conference to address the expanded crisis management responsibilities now facing HR leaders across the island nation.

The conference, launched January 28 at ATL Automotive’s Audi Showroom on Oxford Road, will convene February 4-5, 2026 at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston under the reconfigured theme: “Resilient Leadership, Strategic Impact: HR at the Heart of Jamaica’s Rebuilding.” This thematic shift directly responds to the hurricane’s aftermath, which exposed critical gaps in organizational preparedness and crisis response capabilities.

HRMAJ President Dr. Cassida Jones Johnson emphasized that catastrophic events fundamentally change employee expectations. “When disaster strikes, employees don’t look to systems or policies, they look to leadership,” she stated. “HR serves as the crucial bridge between uncertainty and stability, and this conference aims to fortify that bridge.”

The event will feature prominent voices including Lisa Soares Lewis, who played key roles in Jamaica’s private-sector emergency response coordination through the Joint Private Sector Emergency Operations Centre. Soares Lewis praised HRMAJ’s agile response to the national emergency, noting the association demonstrated “anti-fragile approach in how it responded” by realigning conference programming to meet urgent national needs.

Conference highlights include Soares Lewis’s opening keynote “From Strategy to Impact: The Evolving Role of HR and HR’s Role in National Rebuilding” and a Day Two address by Bank of Jamaica Deputy Governor George Roper on “Change Management Excellence – The BOJ Story.” The agenda will also examine Jamaica’s new Code of Ethics and National Registry for HR practitioners, designed to enhance professional accountability during this period of increased public scrutiny.

The event has garnered substantial corporate support with diamond sponsorships from MC Systems, Triblock HR, and digital gifting platform GiftMe. Latoya Newman of GiftMe highlighted how their technology solutions help organizations retain talent and reward employees—critical functions during reconstruction periods.

Beyond immediate recovery discussions, Conference45 aims to equip HR professionals with strategies for future crisis management, positioning human resource leadership as essential to sustainable growth and organizational resilience.

The Walt Disney Company has initiated a landmark leadership transition, appointing theme parks division head Josh D’Amaro as successor to longtime Chief Executive Bob Iger. The 54-year-old executive will assume the CEO role effective March 18 following unanimous board approval, marking the culmination of a meticulously planned succession strategy.

D’Amaro brings 28 years of institutional knowledge and operational expertise to the position, having most recently overseen Disney’s most profitable business segment. Under his leadership, the parks, experiences, and products division generated $36 billion in fiscal 2025 while managing 185,000 employees across global operations spanning 12 theme parks and 57 resort properties.

Board Chairman James Gorman emphasized D’Amaro’s unique qualifications, noting his ‘inspiring leadership and innovation, strategic growth vision, and profound connection to the Disney brand.’ The incoming CEO has spearheaded major expansion initiatives including the groundbreaking ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ development, plans for Abu Dhabi’s upcoming theme park, and Disney’s transformative partnership with Epic Games for Fortnite integration.

In a concurrent executive restructuring, Dana Walden assumes the newly created position of President and Chief Creative Officer. As co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, Walden will report directly to D’Amaro while overseeing creative direction across the company’s extensive portfolio.

Iger will remain engaged through December 2026 as senior advisor, providing transitional support following his transformative tenure. His legacy includes landmark acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox, alongside the successful launch of Shanghai Disney Resort and Disney’s streaming services expansion.

The leadership change occurs during a period of significant industry disruption, with traditional media models facing unprecedented challenges. Disney+ continues its path toward profitability after launching in 2019 to compete with streaming giant Netflix, while the company explores emerging technologies including generative AI through recently signed licensing agreements.

This transition represents Disney’s third CEO change in four years, following Iger’s brief 2020 retirement and subsequent return after successor Bob Chapek’s pandemic-era dismissal. Iger’s recent restructuring efforts addressed streaming losses and operational challenges, positioning the company for its next chapter under D’Amaro’s leadership.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Caribbean telecommunications leader Digicel has significantly bolstered its corporate governance with the strategic appointment of two industry veterans to its board of directors, effective February 1, 2026. The company announced the addition of Tony Bates and Michael Leitner, bringing decades of specialized expertise to guide its long-term strategic objectives.

The appointments are a calculated move to enhance oversight as Digicel executes its multi-faceted strategy centered on achieving operational resilience, enforcing disciplined capital allocation, and ensuring sustainable performance across its core Caribbean markets. These regions are characterized by their capital-intensive nature and stringent regulatory frameworks, demanding expert navigation.

Tony Bates contributes over thirty years of senior financial and operational leadership within global telecommunications and media corporations. His most notable tenure was as Group Chief Financial Officer at satellite communications giant Inmarsat. In this role, Bates was instrumental in steering business performance, optimizing capital structures, and leading major corporate transactions. His portfolio includes overseeing complex refinancing initiatives and playing a key role in the company’s landmark sale to Viasat, showcasing his proficiency in managing high-stakes financial transformations in regulated industries.

Michael Leitner joins as a Partner and Senior Managing Director at Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm. He currently holds board positions across several of Stonepeak’s communications and digital infrastructure portfolio companies. Leitner’s extensive career encompasses growth, restructuring, and turnaround projects spanning the entire digital ecosystem, including fibre optics, wireless technology, satellite services, data centers, and cloud computing. His executive experience includes significant roles at financial and tech powerhouses such as BlackRock, Tennenbaum Capital Partners, and Microsoft. With a seat on more than 25 public and private company boards, Leitner offers unparalleled governance and investment insight.

Digicel’s Chairman, Rajeev Suri, emphasized the strategic fit of the new members, stating, ‘The perspectives Tony and Michael bring are directly aligned with Digicel’s current priorities. Tony’s profound experience in financial leadership and execution, combined with Michael’s deep background in digital infrastructure and capital stewardship, will significantly enhance the board’s strategic oversight.’

Echoing this sentiment, Digicel’s Chief Executive Officer, Marcelo Cataldo, commented, ‘Operating in our markets requires impeccable execution and financial discipline. Both Tony and Michael have built their careers mastering these complex environments. Their seasoned judgment will be invaluable as we continue to build a resilient business focused on delivering sustainable, long-term performance for our customers and stakeholders.’

HAMILTON, Bermuda — Bermuda’s retail sector demonstrated notable economic resilience with a 2.6 percent increase in the volume of retail sales index for August 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Economy and Labour. The report also indicated a moderate rise in consumer expenses, with shoppers paying 1.9 percent more for the standard basket of goods and services than they did twelve months prior.

In monetary terms, retail sales surged to an estimated $117.3 million, reflecting robust consumer activity across multiple sectors. The performance was unevenly distributed, however, with four out of seven sectors achieving year-over-year growth. Leading the expansion, motor vehicle stores recorded a substantial 20.2 percent volume increase. The ‘all other store types’ category—encompassing household items, furniture, appliances, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and tourist-related goods—also posted impressive gains of 15.3 percent. More modest growth was observed in food stores (up 1.1 percent) and apparel stores (up 0.6 percent).

Conversely, several sectors experienced significant declines. Building material stores suffered the most severe contraction with a 21.5 percent drop in sales volume. Liquor stores saw a decrease of 7.9 percent, while service stations recorded a 1.6 percent reduction in volume.

On the inflation front, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed a slight improvement as the annual inflation rate edged downward by 0.1 percentage points from July 2025 levels, suggesting a minor easing of price pressures in the Bermudian economy.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a significant strategic consolidation of its offshore financial services, NCB Financial Group Limited (NCBFG) has announced the acquisition of NCB (Cayman) Limited by Clarien Bank Limited, its majority-owned subsidiary. This internal reorganization, pending regulatory approvals, will integrate the group’s Cayman Islands-based wealth management and banking operations under a unified platform.

The transaction involves the structured transfer of select wealth and investment management client relationships from NCB’s Cayman operations to Clarien Bank, in which NCBFG currently maintains a 50.10 percent controlling interest. According to Group Chief Executive Officer Robert Almeida, this realignment represents a deliberate strategy to enhance operational coherence and strengthen focus across the financial group’s regional businesses.

Following completion of the transaction, NCB (Cayman) Limited will undergo rebranding under the Clarien name. NCBFG emphasized that the reorganization is not anticipated to materially affect capital adequacy, liquidity, or ownership structure.

Clarien CEO Ian Truran characterized the acquisition as supporting the bank’s strategic expansion into selective offshore markets, calling it “an exciting new chapter” for the institution. The bank has committed to ensuring a seamless transition for both clients and staff from NCB (Cayman) Limited and NCB Capital Markets (Cayman) Ltd.

This development occurs against the backdrop of NCBFG’s evolving ownership strategy regarding Clarien. Earlier efforts to reduce exposure through a partial divestment expired in May 2025 without extension. Conversely, a separate disclosure from June 2025 indicated NCBFG’s potential acquisition of an additional 17.92 percent stake in Clarien, which would elevate its ownership to 68.02 percent if finalized. The group has stated that neither transaction is expected to significantly impact financial performance.

Throughout the transition, clients will continue to be served by their existing relationship teams with no anticipated disruption to daily operations.

Jamaica’s tourism industry is demonstrating remarkable resilience as it rebounds from Hurricane Melissa’s impact, with officials projecting a strong winter season performance. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett unveiled the nation’s recovery strategy during a keynote address to nearly 100 travel advisors and industry stakeholders at Apple Leisure Group Vacations’ welcome dinner at RIU Montego Bay Resort on January 31.

The minister revealed that Jamaica’s approach mirrors its successful COVID-19 pandemic response, emphasizing consistent messaging and strategic coordination. Bartlett recalled how the creation of ‘resilient corridors’ during the pandemic enabled controlled reopening from Negril to Port Antonio, providing the template for current recovery efforts.

Following Hurricane Melissa, authorities implemented a targeted assessment and recovery plan involving property visits and a unified communication strategy centered on the message: ‘Jamaica is open for business.’ This coordinated approach has yielded significant results, with the majority of hotels and attractions now operational and over 500,000 visitors recorded in January alone.

Bartlett confirmed that only eight hotels remain temporarily closed while repairs continue, including at the Princess Grand Jamaica Resort. The minister expressed confidence in achieving winter season targets running from December 15, 2025, through April 2026, noting that 71% of tourism assets were restored by December 15.

Jacki Marks, Global Head of Trade Brands at ALG Vacations, emphasized the importance of firsthand experience for travel advisors, describing the four-day visit as a confidence-building initiative. She acknowledged the emotional impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica, which represents a crucial market for ALG, and praised the island’s generosity and resilience.

The ‘Advisors in Action: Come Back to Give Back’ event highlighted tourism’s rebuilding momentum and the essential role travel partners play in sustaining Jamaica’s economy during recovery efforts.