分类： business

Career paths are rarely the straight, pre-planned trajectories many young professionals are taught to pursue. For 29-year-old Jamaican marketing leader Netania Mundell, the journey from a university accounting major to a leading digital activation role at global beverage giant Diageo is a masterclass in following natural talent rather than rigid expectations, and turning personal roots into professional superpower.

Today, Mundell serves as an associate of digital activation at Diageo, where she shapes marketing strategies for two of the company’s most iconic North American brands: Guinness and Smirnoff Ice. What makes her approach unique is a perspective rooted in her Jamaican upbringing: she rejects the idea that brands only exist in corporate boardrooms and polished campaign documents, instead arguing that brands live in the everyday moments, casual conversations, shared memories and cultural rituals of consumers. This people-first perspective blends perfectly with her own multi-faceted identity as a strategist, storyteller, cultural observer and creative.

Mundell’s personality is as dynamic as the brands she elevates: quick-witted, unapologetically authentic, and infectiously upbeat, she brings humor and transparency to every project she touches. “I am very unserious in the best way,” she joked in an interview. But beneath that approachable, lighthearted energy lies a sharp, empathetic professional with an innate ability to read people, culture and untold brand stories — a skill that has become her greatest competitive advantage.

That instinct was cultivated long before she entered the global marketing industry, in the close-knit, family-focused community of Portmore, St Catherine, where she grew up. Her father emerged as one of the most foundational influences in her life, offering unwavering support that helped her build the confidence to take calculated risks even when the future was unclear. That confidence would prove critical during her years at the University of the West Indies, where she enrolled to study accounting, only to slowly realize that the career she had mapped out on paper did not align with the creative, people-focused person she was growing into.

Rather than sticking to the pre-planned path, Mundell began leaning into her growing curiosity for marketing: she got involved in campus activities, joined the UWI Marketing Association, and opened herself up to new opportunities. That proactive choice paid off in 2018, when she landed a coveted internship at telecommunications leader Digicel, her first formal step into the marketing industry.

Around the same time, a second side of her professional identity began to grow organically on social media. On Twitter, audiences connected deeply with Mundell’s sharp humor, unique insights and unfiltered personality. As she navigated the uncertainty of post-graduation life, she turned that online following into the Netschat podcast, honing her skills as a creator and conversationalist. In an era where modern brands are expected to be culturally attuned, digitally native and emotionally intelligent, that hands-on creator experience gave her a rare edge that traditional marketing training could not provide.

One of Mundell’s most celebrated early career wins came during her time at agency Mystique, where she managed the KFC Jamaica account. For 2022 Valentine’s Day, she pitched a simple but clever concept for an Instagram Reel: a romantic video shot in the style of a love letter addressed to a partner, with a playful twist that revealed the deep affection was actually for KFC’s popular Big Deal meal. The campaign went viral organically, becoming one of the highest-performing organic Instagram posts in the brand’s history — a testament to Mundell’s ability to blend humor, relatability and smart brand storytelling.

For Mundell, what draws her to marketing above all else is the space the industry creates for unconventional, creative ideas. In 2022, she made another bold life and career choice: she left Jamaica to pursue a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing at New York University, rooting herself in one of the world’s most dynamic marketing hubs while still carrying her Jamaican identity with pride.

Now at Diageo, she brings that unique perspective to a global business environment that demands equal parts creative innovation and disciplined execution. Focused on Diageo’s North American beer and flavored malt beverage segment, she manages brand strategy for Guinness and Smirnoff Ice across the region, but sees her role as far more than just a regional position: it is an opportunity to infuse global marketing with the cultural awareness and human-centered perspective she gained growing up in Jamaica.

Looking ahead, Mundell expects her career to continue evolving at the intersection of creative storytelling, data-driven strategy and human behavior. Her advice for young professionals navigating uncertain career paths echoes her own journey: “Passion really has to drive you to be prepared. When opportunity comes knocking, you never want to be caught unprepared.” For Mundell, that willingness to follow her passion and prepare for new opportunities has turned an unconventional accounting detour into a thriving global marketing career.

For immigrant women entrepreneurs, turning perceived limitations into scalable, impactful business success is a rare achievement—but that is exactly the journey of Jamaican-born Ingrid Murray, CEO of New York-based Prospect Cleaning Service Inc.

What began as a small, modest commercial cleaning startup has evolved into a multimillion-dollar enterprise serving high-profile clients across New York’s public and private sectors. Under Murray’s leadership, the firm has earned a spot on the prestigious Inc 5000 ranking of America’s fastest-growing private companies, carving out a respected reputation in the often underrecognized commercial cleaning and building maintenance industry. The company’s steady growth has been fueled by Murray’s signature ability to spot opportunity where others see roadblocks, paired with a commitment to operational excellence and intentional strategic expansion. Today, Prospect Cleaning Service delivers a full suite of commercial cleaning, facility maintenance, and environmental services across the entire New York region.

The defining turning point for the company came amid the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses across the country fought to stay afloat. Just as lockdowns and public health restrictions shut down most of the company’s existing client contracts—costing Murray 90% of her revenue almost overnight—the entrepreneur made a high-stakes bet that would redefine her business. With no guarantee of a return, she invested her company’s last remaining capital in specialized medical-grade sanitization equipment, a move that even her late husband initially viewed as unreasonably risky. The gamble paid off dramatically: Prospect Cleaning Service soon secured major public sector contracts that placed it at the center of New York’s critical pandemic sanitization response. The firm was tapped by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to manage deep cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization services for Metro-North and Harlem Line stations across multiple upstate New York counties, and also provided round-the-clock cleaning services at Grand Central Terminal, one of the busiest transportation hubs in the nation.

Murray’s business success, however, is rooted in a personal story shaped by migration, early responsibility, faith, loss, and the unique systemic barriers Caribbean women face when building professional careers. Growing up in Jamaica, Murray carried adult responsibility from her early teens: after her mother immigrated to the U.S. to build a new life for the family, 14-year-old Murray stepped into the role of primary caregiver for her younger brother. Like many Caribbean women, she learned early that she would always be the person others relied on—a lesson that shaped her adaptive, solution-focused leadership style today.

“Growing up in Jamaica, I always envisioned a life of impact. I knew I wanted to create change and rise beyond the limitations I saw around me,” Murray shared. “A lot of people doubted me early on, so I became determined to show the world who I truly was — not who others assumed I would become. I used to say all the time, ‘When I go to America, I’m going to be rich.’ But it was never only about money. It was about proving to myself that my environment did not define my future.”

Unlike popular narratives that frame success as mere positive visualization, Murray’s approach to achievement blends faith with deliberate, disciplined work. “For me, manifestation is about aligning my vision with what God has already designed for my life. It’s not simply wishing for something and waiting for it to appear. It requires discipline, faith, hard work and obedience,” she explained. “Without God, I would be nothing. Every success I have belongs to Him.”

Even after building a nationally recognized company, Murray remains candid about the persistent barriers that hold back many Caribbean women entrepreneurs. “Fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles. There’s also a lack of support, and often a lack of self-worth that develops from years of being underestimated or overlooked,” she noted. For her own part, Murray learned to push past doubt and criticism by focusing on execution: “Not everyone will understand your vision. Sometimes you have to keep building anyway.”

Today, Murray frames success as something that must extend beyond personal achievement. Through targeted mentorship, philanthropic work, and outreach to aspiring women entrepreneurs, she has made it her mission to help other women recognize and activate their own potential. “Growing up without support or people believing in you can be deeply traumatic. Sometimes all it takes is one person truly listening to you, hearing your vision and reminding you that your life has value,” she said.

Looking ahead, Murray plans to continue expanding her business and her impact, positioning herself as a gateway for the next generation of diverse leaders. “I am manifesting expansion — more businesses, new opportunities and becoming a gateway for future leaders who need guidance, wisdom and insight,” she said.

When Category 5 Hurricane Melissa swept across Jamaica, it left more than just physical infrastructure damage in its wake: the storm wiped out an estimated 16,000 commercial bee colonies, triggering a national honey shortage that has rippled through every segment of the country’s agricultural and manufacturing supply chains.

Before the storm hit, Jamaica’s apiculture industry supported roughly 120,000 active bee colonies across the island. Hugh Smith, head of the Apiculture Unit under Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining, called the damage catastrophic, estimating total sector losses at approximately $600 million. Beyond the immediate colony loss, the storm has shifted regional production timelines, reduced output for surviving colonies, and pushed the upcoming honey harvest back by one to three months in many affected areas. Smith confirmed that full recovery of lost colonies will take at least two years, as beekeepers work to rebuild populations from the remaining stock.

The shortage has created cascading challenges for manufacturers that rely on local Jamaican honey as a core input. Since the beginning of the year, the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) has received multiple requests from member companies struggling to secure consistent, fairly priced honey supplies. Kamesha Blake, JMEA’s Executive Director, explained that retail buyers, who can afford to pay premium prices for scarce honey, are outcompeting manufacturing operations for limited stock. “We had one member that put out a public call for suppliers, but all respondents said the manufacturer’s offered price was far too low to accept,” Blake told local reporters. “With supply already tight, retail naturally pulls all available stock because of the higher margins it offers.”

For herbal products manufacturer Shavuot International, the shortage has forced direct cuts to production volume. Managing Director Joel Harris said he has spent three months searching for reliable honey supplies, and has only been able to secure a fraction of the volume his firm purchased before the hurricane. “Most suppliers tell us they haven’t rebuilt their production capacity yet, and the storm completely shifted the harvest season,” Harris explained. “Beekeepers are easy to reach, but almost none have any honey available to sell. Any small batch they produce gets bought up immediately by retail buyers, so locking in a steady supply has been incredibly difficult.”

Stakeholders across the sector say the imbalance between supply and demand is the most severe it has been in recent memory. Local beekeeper Roger Mitchell, based in Jamaica’s St Elizabeth parish, told reporters that he and most of his colleagues lost nearly half of their colonies to the storm. With demand spiking to unprecedented levels — Mitchell now receives weekly inquiries from new manufacturers and distributors, a pattern he says was rare before the hurricane — beekeepers are forced to make a difficult choice: prioritize immediate honey sales to meet current demand, or split existing colonies to rebuild lost populations for future production. For Mitchell, the choice is clear: “We’re sacrificing all of 2026 production to rebuild. This season is a write-off, and we’re hoping for a full recovery by next year’s harvest.” Some beekeepers are also hoarding existing stock, holding off on sales in anticipation of further price increases as supplies shrink, worsening the immediate shortage.

For small-scale apiculture investors, the damage has long-term financial impacts. Smith noted that many beekeepers planned to reinvest revenue from this season’s harvest into expansion projects spanning the next two to five years. With the loss of most of their colonies, those plans have been put on indefinite hold. “It’s not just the 16,000 lost colonies we’re dealing with,” Smith explained. “Even surviving colonies are producing one to two gallons less honey per colony than they did pre-storm, so productivity across the entire sector is down.” To put the loss in perspective, each lost colony produces roughly three gallons of honey per season, which sells for roughly $20,000 per gallon at current market prices.

Despite the widespread damage, Jamaican agricultural authorities have already launched recovery initiatives to return the sector to pre-hurricane output levels. The Apiculture Unit has rolled out training for beekeepers on advanced queen-breeding techniques, which will speed up colony reproduction and population replenishment. To address the loss of foraging vegetation that bees rely on for food, the government is distributing 1,500 new fruit trees across the island, with a focus on regions that suffered widespread defoliation during the storm. A $40 million investment has also been allocated to supply sugar to feed bee colonies while new vegetation matures.

Smith added that while current stockpiles of market-ready honey are expected to run out before the next harvest begins, changing climate patterns may create unexpected off-season honey production that could partially offset the shortage. He also urged beekeepers to avoid excessive price gouging as the market adjusts to the new supply reality, emphasizing that government efforts are already underway to return supply to pre-storm levels within the next two years.