Four managers exit at Seprod
Published:Wednesday | January 27, 2021 | 4:18 AM
Seprod Limited has reported the departure of four managers from the company, separations that CEO Pandohie described as routine, but which had to be disclosed to the market because of the seniority of the positions.
The departures were published on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on January 20, but took place over two months starting the final day of October 2020, with the exit of Internal Government Liaison, Dr Gavin Bellamy. The search for his replacement is ongoing.
The contract for Basil ‘Larry’ Watson came to an end November 30. Pandohie said Watson was brought into Seprod for a special project, which did not materialise.
“Larry was engaged on a contract basis to give support expertise to the biscuit operation when we were looking at divesting. The divestment did not materialise and the group subsequently decided to keep the operation within the group,” Pandohie said, but otherwise declined to comment on contract details or monies spent.
Watson immediately stepped into a new job as CEO of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce in December, where he replaced Trevor Fearon, who now describes himself as a consultant at large.
The other two departures at Seprod happened on December 31 – Head of Security, Health & Environment, Dave Virtue, retired and his successor chosen from within Seprod’s ranks; while General Manager of subsidiary International Biscuits Limited, Roger Drinkall, has been given another posting within Musson Jamaica, the privately run conglomerate that controls Seprod. Drinkall’s replacement is expected to be installed in February, Pandohie said.
“Yes, taken as a whole it may attract some attention but those movements were really over a period of time,” the Seprod boss said. “There is nothing wrong with management changes from time to time. It keeps us sharp, promotes renewal and revitalises the team,” he said.