banner-image-56

Directors

The Board of Directors of GraceKennedy Limited comprises eight members, six of whom are non-executive Directors. The remaining two Directors are executives Donald Wehby, the Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Andrew Messado, the Group’s Chief Financial Officer. The Board is led by an independent Chairman, Professor Gordon Shirley.

Professor the Hon.

Gordon Valentine Shirley, O.J.

Chairman

Professor Gordon Shirley is the Chairman of GraceKennedy Limited and GraceKennedy Foods (USA) LLC. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1996 and previously served as Chair of the Corporate Governance & Nomination Committee, and a member of the Audit Committee.

Professor Shirley is currently the President and CEO of the Port Authority of Jamaica. He has also served as Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States of America and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States and has had a distinguished academic career at The University of the West Indies serving as the Carlton Alexander Professor of Management, Executive Director of the School of Business and as Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Mona Campus.

He has also served as the Executive Chairman of the Jamaica Public Service Company and has been a board member of several public and private sector entities.

He holds an MBA and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Harvard University and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from The University of the West Indies.

He has been conferred with the honour of the Order of Jamaica.

Don Wehby, C.D.

Group Chief Executive Officer

On July 1, 2011, Mr. Don Wehby was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of GraceKennedy Limited.  Prior to this appointment, Mr. Wehby held the position of Group Chief Operating Officer from October 5, 2009.

Mr.  Wehby first joined GraceKennedy Ltd. in 1995 as Group Finance Manager. He was appointed Deputy Finance Director in 1997 and in that same year was appointed to the Board of Directors of GraceKennedy Ltd. The following year, he was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer and in 1999 undertook the additional role of Chief Operating Officer for the Financial Services Division. In addition, he was charged with the responsibility for leading the Group’s local and international expansion especially as this relates to banking, investments, and insurance services. He has directed the listing of the company in Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange sited in St. Kitts. Under his leadership, GraceKennedy acquired 100% ownership of First Global Bank Ltd., now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

During his tenure as Chief Operating Officer of the Financial Services Division, the division’s pre-tax profit rose from $280 million in 2000 to $1.417 billion in 2005, an increase of 406 %.  Additionally, under his leadership (as Group Chief Executive Officer) the GraceKennedy Group achieved recording breaking results for the financial year ended December 31, 2020. This represented the Company’s best financial performance in its 99-year history.

He is also a director of several of GraceKennedy’s Boards including chairman of First Global Holdings, GK Foods & Services Limited, GraceKennedy Money Services SRL, Canopy Insurance Limited, Key Insurance Company Limited and Deputy Chair of Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation.

Mr. Wehby’s prior professional affiliations include Vice Chairman of the Diaspora Conference Implementation Council and Chairman of the Jamaica Cricket Franchise Development Company. In December 2014, he retired from the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) where he previously held the post of Vice-President of the PSOJ and Chairman of its Economic Policy
Committee.  His prior association with the PSOJ was that of Honorary Treasurer. He also served on the Boards of Food for the Poor, Cable & Wireless Jamaica, and his alma mater St. George’s College (where he also served as a Director of its Endowment Fund Board up to March 2016).  He previously a Director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and Chairman of its newly created Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.   He is an avid sports fan and was instrumental in GraceKennedy’s sponsorship of School Boy Cricket in Jamaica and the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys & Girls Championship.

The first Jamaican to win the Young Caribbean Professional Network’s (YCPN) Award, Mr. Wehby was honoured as the International Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 for his leadership in making GraceKennedy a major player in the global marketplace, his commitment to investing in downtown Kingston and to Sports. In May 2015, he received the key to the city of Miramar, Florida, from its mayor, Wayne Messam, for his work in the private sector, his two-year stint in government, and his overall contribution to Jamaica. The ‘Key to the City’ is an honour bestowed by a city upon esteemed residents and visitors. He was the   Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) Distinguished Member Awardee for 2015.  The award recognizes a member who through service and achievements, has contributed to the prestige and status of the Institute and the Accountancy profession.  Mr. Wehby is the youngest recipient of the ICAJ award.  Additionally, on Saturday, September 24, 2016, Mr. Wehby was inducted into the St. George’s College Hall of Fame for Excellence and Achievement in Business, Community Spirit and Service to the College.  He also
received the Key to Broward County on May 19, 2018, from Broward County Commissioner Dale V.C. Holness. The “Key to Broward County” is a symbol of goodwill which is given to visiting dignitaries, esteemed visitors, or valued members of the community who have contributed to the county by way of public service or charity. On March 23, 2019, he received the G. Raymond Chang Award and was inducted into the Immaculate Hall of Fame.  On June 29, 2019, Mr. Wehby was recognized by the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) for his transformational leadership for the JSE’s Junior Market. On November 20, 2020, he was the recipient of the 2020 Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Award for Outstanding Corporate Citizenship. The award is the first of its kind being conferred by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS).   In April 2021, Mr. Wehby was elected an Honorary Life Member of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus Guild of Students for his service in the public & private sectors and outstanding contribution to education and nation building. On April 21, 2022, he received the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Global Business Leadership. Additionally, in July 2022, Mr. Wehby was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

Mr. Wehby is currently New Zealand’s Honorary Consul to Jamaica, following his appointment in September 2015.  In March 2016, he was appointed by Jamaica’s Prime Minister, The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, as an independent Senator, which will once again allow him to offer his services by giving an independent, non-aligned voice in critical national matters, including
among other things, helping to shape new legislation and amend existing legislation in need of reform. In September 2020 Mr. Wehby was reappointed to the Senate allowing him to continue his service to Jamaica and his contribution to nation-building. Mr. Wehby is also a former Chairman of JAMPRO a role he served in  since April 2016 up to his resignation in July 2022. On October 16, 2017, Mr. Wehby received the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) for his sterling contribution to both the public and private sectors.  He is also the Chairman of the Finance Commission for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston following his appointment on August 2019.

A Fellow Chartered Accountant, Mr. Wehby holds both a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) and a Master of Science degree in Accounting from The University of the West Indies and has completed an Advanced Management College certificate course at Stanford University.  Mr. Wehby is married with three children.  He is an avid cricket fan and a member of the Kingston Cricket Club.

Andrew Messado

Group Chief Financial Officer

Andrew Messado, a Finance and Accounting professional with years of experience in consolidation, budgeting, and accounting standards, became a Director of GraceKennedy Limited on April 1, 2019.

Mr Messado is the Group Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of Directors at GraceKennedy Limited, having joined the company in 1999 and has held various positions within the Corporate Finance & Accounting Department, including Financial Analyst, Financial Accountant, Group Finance Manager and Group Comptroller.

He spearheaded the Group’s conversion to International Financial Reporting Standards and during his tenure has had oversight responsibility for accounting matters including coordinating financial reporting, auditing and budgeting processes. He has also been integral in various GK projects involving mergers, acquisitions, and divestments.

Mr Messado holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting (First Class Honours) and a Master of Science Degree in Accounting (Distinction) both from The University of the West Indies. He has structured training annually in the areas of leadership, accounting, finance, and treasury, including the High Potentials Leadership Program, Harvard Business School, Boston; Treasury Management and Financial Management, Euromoney, New York and the International Financial Reporting Standards, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica, Kingston.

Mr Messado is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ).

Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr

Director

Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr was appointed to the Board on March 6, 2013. He is the Managing Director of PAMAS Ltd, a boutique data analytics firm. He is also a Vice President at the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica.

Dr Lyew-Ayee Jr specialises in advanced geographic information systems and data analytics, with applications ranging from the environment and natural hazards to crime and public health systems, road safety and business intelligence.

He sits on numerous boards, including as Chairman of Dairy Industries Jamaica Ltd, and on the board of GK Foods and Services Ltd. He is also Chairman of the Scientific Research Council and the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences and sits on the board of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica. He is also an Eisenhower Fellow (USA).

Dr Lyew-Ayee Jr holds a D.Phil. from the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, as well as a BSc in Earth Science from the UWI, Mona, Jamaica. He is also a member of several professional organisations and societies.

Gina Phillipps Black

Director

Mrs Gina Phillipps Black was appointed to the Board of Directors of GraceKennedy Limited on February 8, 2012, and as Chair of the Corporate Governance & Nomination Committee in 2014 a position she still holds. Mrs Phillipps Black is an Attorney-at-Law and Partner of Myers, Fletcher & Gordon, where she is Head of that firm’s Commercial Department.

Mrs Phillipps Black obtained her Bachelor of Laws Degree in 1989 at The University of the West Indies, Mona and gained her Certificate of Legal Education at Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica in 1991. She was admitted to the Jamaican Bar in October 1991. In the same year she joined Myers, Fletcher & Gordon, a prominent law firm in Jamaica that is the exclusive member firm in Jamaica for Lex Mundi – the world’s leading network of independent law firms.

Mrs Phillipps Black has experience in a wide range of commercial matters including corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, banking and securities law and regulation, security and loan documentation, company law and taxation.

She is ranked by Chambers &Partners and ranked as Highly Regarded by IFLR 1000. She was selected as an IFLR Women Leader for Jamaica for 2021, 2022 and 2023, on the basis of reputation and experience of working on complex deals, and leadership roles with her firm and practices.

She has served on the boards of several companies in the manufacturing and financial services industries (including GraceKennedy Remittance Services). She is currently Chairman of GK General Insurance Company Limited and is a member of the Board of GK Foods and Services Limited and GraceKennedy Foods (USA) LLC. For many years she served as a Member of the Board of Governors of St. Hugh’s Preparatory School. She is an active member of the Jamaica Bar Association’s Commercial Law Sub-Committee and the General Legal Council’s Proceeds of Crime Committee.

In 2013 Mrs Phillipps Black was appointed as a Member of the Management Board of Tax Administration Jamaica, and in 2016 she was appointed as its Chairman, a position she held until May 2021.

In April 2022 she was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Board of Jamaica Customs Agency, a position she continues to hold.

Indianna Minto-Coy

Director

Dr Indianna Minto-Coy was appointed to the Board of GraceKennedy Limited on June 26, 2018.

Dr Minto-Coy is Deputy Director and Senior Lecturer at the Mona School of Business and Management at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. She also leads the Entrepreneurship, International Business and Strategy arm and sits on the School’s Board of Directors. She researches and consults in Entrepreneurship and International Business, Diasporas and Migration, Disaster Risk Reduction, Business Continuity Management and Sustainability and has lectured in countries such as the UK, Spain and Peru.

Dr Minto-Coy serves on international Boards, including the Academy of International Business – Latin America and the Caribbean – the first Caribbean national to hold this position, the Diaspora Engagement Centre in Guyana and the Transformation Journal. She also serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Comparative International Management and Revista de Administração de Empresas, and editorial Board member for the Journal of International Business Policy. She is Research Affiliate at the International Migration Research Centre, Wilfred Laurier University in Canada. Indianna is keen on helping to improve corporate governance across Jamaica’s public sector, serving as a founding member of the judging committee for the Ministry of Finance and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s Public Sector Corporate Governance Awards Programme.

She has been a consultant for the Government of Jamaica, having compiled the first draft of the Jamaica Diaspora Policy. Dr Minto-Coy has also won awards for her work, including the Principal’s Award for the Most Outstanding Researcher in the Faculty of Social Sciences (2018 and 2020). She has held appointments at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Said Business School (University of Oxford), the University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the Shridath Ramphal Centre for Trade Policy, Law and Services, UWI, Cave Hill Campus and up to 2018, served on various committees at the Jamaica Stock Exchange and Jamaica Social Stock Exchange.

Dr Minto-Coy earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of West Indies and her Doctorate from the Law Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She is married with two children.

Vanessa Rizzioli

Director

Vanessa Rizzioli was appointed to the Board on July 28, 2022.

Mrs Rizzioli is the principal consultant, founder and director of Cranwicke Consulting, a boutique finance transactions legal consultancy advising on projects and assignments in the UK and overseas. Prior to this, she was a Senior Legal Counsel at Thames Water Utilities Limited, the UK’s largest privately owned water utility. Previously, she held an originations role in London at a
niche New York based investment bank, with a focus on corporate financing and advisory services in the emerging markets. Mrs Rizzioli was also a corporate and project finance lawyer and Senior Associate at the law firm Freshfields in London and, on secondment, acting Legal Director of a UK corporate investor in major public sector projects.

She began her career at the law firm, Dunn Cox Orrett & Ashenheim in Jamaica and also worked in its associated office in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Mrs Rizzioli holds a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in corporate, securities and commercial law from Cambridge University (Queens College) and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from The University of the West Indies (Cave Hill). She is also a graduate of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.

She is a former trustee of the British Foundation for The University of the West Indies.

Peter E. Williams

Director

Mr Peter Williams was appointed to the Board of GraceKennedy Limited on April 1, 2021 and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Board on May 26, 2021.

Mr Williams is a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Jamaica.  He joined PwC in 1981 and was promoted to partner in 1993. Mr Williams retired from his role as PwC’s Assurance Services Leader for Jamaica in 2020, and at the time of his retirement he also served as the firm’s Jamaican hospitality sector leader, partner in charge of the Montego Bay office and as a member of its Technical Accounting Committee. In addition to these posts, he also previously led the firm’s Information Technology Advisory practice for four years and its Corporate Secretarial Services practice for two years. He has also led engagements for clients in the implementation of new accounting standards such as IFRS 9, Financial Instruments and IFRS 16, Leases.

He has four decades of experience in public accounting, assurance and consulting services for large public and private companies, multinationals and Government entities, and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica. Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from University College Dublin, Ireland.