Gloria Henry is new MoBay Chamber boss

Gloria Henry, assistant vice-president of operations at the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), who is in charge of the Montego Bay Freezone Company, was elected the new president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) on Wednesday, making her the second woman to lead the organisation.

"It's a responsibility that I accept with humility," Henry told The Gleaner following the chamber's annual general meeting (AGM) at the Wexford Court Hotel in Montego Bay.

"I have the blessings of the PAJ, and yes, it is going to be a lot of work, but I have an excellent board comprising individuals with diverse skills, so the possibilities are endless."

The first woman to lead the MBCCI was the late Pauline Reid, who served between 2006 and 2008.

On Wednesday, Henry was elected unopposed. She replaces attorney-at-law Nathan Robb. She will lead an executive, which comprises Sonia Clarke Bowen, first vice-president; Leroy Brown, second vice-president; and Brian Brown, third vice-president.

"My first and primary focus will be to develop a new value proposition for Montego Bay, one that will take us into the new phase of growth and development even as we extend the commercial areas in the city," said Henry. "We have to operate like a business; we have to identify and enunciate those unique factors that differentiate this area and make it attractive to investors, visitors and our citizens.

"It is my intention to create the conditions under which strong leadership and effective governance will strive; to work cooperatively with the executive and the directors so that our goals and objectives are properly aligned to the mandate of the MBCCI," added Henry.

The new president further indicated that she intends to lead a lobby for the establishment of a branch of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation or a similar type of entity to support the germination and breeding of entrepreneurial ideas as well as small and medium enterprises.

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com