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C&W boss departs after nine months
Observer Reporter
Thursday, June 30, 2005
JACQUELINE Holding yesterday parted ways with Cable & Wireless Jamaica after only nine months as chief executive officer, and the company named a Jamaican to replace her as its fourth CEO in only six years.
The replacement, Rodney Davis, has been for the past year, the chief financial officer of Cable & Wireless Barbados. His appointment becomes effective tomorrow, the company announced yesterday.
The company gave no explanation for the sudden departure of Holding who was seconded from C&W's Seychelles operation as a replacement for the former CEO Gary Barrow, and neither was there any information regarding her future within C&W.
The departure of Holding, who has been on leave for the past two weeks, was announced following a visit to the island and review of the company's operation this week by C&W chairman Len de Barros, who is stationed in Miami and is in charge of the Caribbean region.
Holding was dispatched to Jamaica on September 22 last year by C&W PLc - the UK-based parent of C&W Jamaica - with a mandate to claw back market share the company had lost to its rival and new entrant Digicel Jamaica.
She came to the island with 14 years' experience in the Cable and Wireless system, with postings that included the Seychelles, and as CEO of the Middle East and Islands region.
But in Jamaica, concerns began to develop within corporate circles, and, according to sources, within C&W as well, that the organisation was becoming too top-heavy with foreigners.
Six senior executives were expatriates, some recruited under Holding's watch. They are: the CEO, the chief operating officer, the chief financial officer, the head of mobile, the head of broadband, and the head of residential services.
Patrick Gillins, the Jamaican senior vice-president of marketing who departed the company a few weeks ago, was not formally replaced, but another expatriate was named the head of regional marketing.
Holding had replaced Barrow, who was named president in 1999, but who was removed from that position in September last year and given a job as director of regulatory strategy for a C&W subsidiary. He left the company at the beginning of April.
Barrow himself had replaced Errald Miller, who was named president in 1995 and was in 1999 promoted to head up C&W's regional unit headquartered in Miami. Miller spent two years in this post before announcing his sudden departure from the firm in December 2001.
C&W said yesterday that its latest CEO had spent his time in Barbados "strengthening the company's business planning process, improved the quality and integrity of financial reporting and tightened the company's credit management, achieving considerable savings".
Prior to joining Cable & Wireless, Davis was (in 2002) the senior partner in charge at Ernst & Young's Jamaica office.
Said Harris Jones, C&W executive director of international businesses, in announcing the appointment: "I'm delighted that Rodney has agreed to join Cable & Wireless Jamaica as CEO. He faces a challenging market in which we're making progress and I know that he and his team will rise to that challenge, accelerate our initiatives in broadband and mobile and continue to strengthen our offer to customers in Jamaica."
Added chairman Len de Barros: "Rodney is joining Cable & Wireless Jamaica at a crucial time. Our markets are more competitive than ever and our customers are looking for innovative products and services, great value and first class customer care. Rodney brings a strong track record forged in C&W Barbados and in the Caribbean and Canadian financial sectors. I know he will be focusing on exceeding our customers' expectations in every area and I wish him every success."
Davis said he was delighted to be returning to Jamaica and to be bringing his family back. "I'm joining Cable & Wireless Jamaica at a critical stage," he said, "and I look forward to building the success of our business to deliver an ever improving offer to our customers."
C&W boss departs after nine months
Observer Reporter
Thursday, June 30, 2005
JACQUELINE Holding yesterday parted ways with Cable & Wireless Jamaica after only nine months as chief executive officer, and the company named a Jamaican to replace her as its fourth CEO in only six years.
The replacement, Rodney Davis, has been for the past year, the chief financial officer of Cable & Wireless Barbados. His appointment becomes effective tomorrow, the company announced yesterday.
The company gave no explanation for the sudden departure of Holding who was seconded from C&W's Seychelles operation as a replacement for the former CEO Gary Barrow, and neither was there any information regarding her future within C&W.
The departure of Holding, who has been on leave for the past two weeks, was announced following a visit to the island and review of the company's operation this week by C&W chairman Len de Barros, who is stationed in Miami and is in charge of the Caribbean region.
Holding was dispatched to Jamaica on September 22 last year by C&W PLc - the UK-based parent of C&W Jamaica - with a mandate to claw back market share the company had lost to its rival and new entrant Digicel Jamaica.
She came to the island with 14 years' experience in the Cable and Wireless system, with postings that included the Seychelles, and as CEO of the Middle East and Islands region.
But in Jamaica, concerns began to develop within corporate circles, and, according to sources, within C&W as well, that the organisation was becoming too top-heavy with foreigners.
Six senior executives were expatriates, some recruited under Holding's watch. They are: the CEO, the chief operating officer, the chief financial officer, the head of mobile, the head of broadband, and the head of residential services.
Patrick Gillins, the Jamaican senior vice-president of marketing who departed the company a few weeks ago, was not formally replaced, but another expatriate was named the head of regional marketing.
Holding had replaced Barrow, who was named president in 1999, but who was removed from that position in September last year and given a job as director of regulatory strategy for a C&W subsidiary. He left the company at the beginning of April.
Barrow himself had replaced Errald Miller, who was named president in 1995 and was in 1999 promoted to head up C&W's regional unit headquartered in Miami. Miller spent two years in this post before announcing his sudden departure from the firm in December 2001.
C&W said yesterday that its latest CEO had spent his time in Barbados "strengthening the company's business planning process, improved the quality and integrity of financial reporting and tightened the company's credit management, achieving considerable savings".
Prior to joining Cable & Wireless, Davis was (in 2002) the senior partner in charge at Ernst & Young's Jamaica office.
Said Harris Jones, C&W executive director of international businesses, in announcing the appointment: "I'm delighted that Rodney has agreed to join Cable & Wireless Jamaica as CEO. He faces a challenging market in which we're making progress and I know that he and his team will rise to that challenge, accelerate our initiatives in broadband and mobile and continue to strengthen our offer to customers in Jamaica."
Added chairman Len de Barros: "Rodney is joining Cable & Wireless Jamaica at a crucial time. Our markets are more competitive than ever and our customers are looking for innovative products and services, great value and first class customer care. Rodney brings a strong track record forged in C&W Barbados and in the Caribbean and Canadian financial sectors. I know he will be focusing on exceeding our customers' expectations in every area and I wish him every success."
Davis said he was delighted to be returning to Jamaica and to be bringing his family back. "I'm joining Cable & Wireless Jamaica at a critical stage," he said, "and I look forward to building the success of our business to deliver an ever improving offer to our customers."
C&W boss departs after nine months
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