By his own account and reports Oliver Clarke credits Christopher Barnes with the improved financial performance of The Gleaner in 2010. This performance saw the Gleaner CEO making The Top 10 List for the very first time at number 2.

After four years as deputy managing director, Christopher Barnes finally assumed the top job at the Company on February 1, 2011, with Oliver Clarke, announcing that he was stepping down on January 31.

Clarke, who has served as the company’s managing director for 34 years, would remain chairman of the board of directors.

“I will still be around and will be doing duties that Chris (Barnes) and I have agreed on,” said Clarke as he thanked the staff for their support over the years.

In his annual report to shareholders Barnes commented that, “We have closed out 2010 with much to celebrate having been successful in keeping a tight rein on our costs allowing your company to report fairly good financial results boosted by pension fund related income. The profit of the Group from continuing operations for 2010 improved by over $270 million, compared to 2009. Trading profit for 2010 was $211m and showed an improvement of $3M over 2009. The company’s year-end balance sheet remains strong, shows a healthy working capital base and remains virtually debt free. We fought to the wire with our sales efforts, which helped to partially offset earlier revenue shortfalls.”

Barnes, a graduate of Boston University in the United States and McGill University in Canada, joined The Gleaner in 2007 after leaving Alcan in New Jersey. The Campion College graduate quickly established himself as part of The Gleaner’s management team, leading the changes necessary to tighten the company’s operating practices.

“I’m not daunted,” Barnes said as he prepared to take over the leadership of one of the oldest newspaper in the Western hemisphere. “I know it is a serious challenge, but I’m pretty confident in my ability to overcome challenges,” he added.

Barnes informed that while there would be no major changes at The Gleaner immediately after he assumes office, but he is going to implement programmes aimed at improving the operations and achieving growth would continue.

“The Gleaner is not going to change overnight with my appointment. We have been evolving over the years, and we will continue to evolve to respond to the needs of advertisers and readers,” he said.

With a commitment to continuing The Gleaner’s high standard of delivering value to its shareholders and customers, Barnes is clear on where the company needs to go.

“The objective has to be growth. You can’t cost cut your way to growth, so what we have to do is look at new and innovative ways of keeping the public informed but always looking to doing it in a commercially sound way. In other words, we need to be able to make money to continue to support the overheads that we use to collate and disseminate the news,” Barnes said.

He noted that The Gleaner already has an excellent online product and that development would continue.

“It is an evolving technology and the world is still unclear of how you are going to make money, but we have seen some advertising growth due to the take-up of Internet in Jamaica and we are encouraged by it.”

Looking forward Barnes told shareholder that, “2011 will bring much opportunity for The Gleaner Company, however, with equal or greater challenge.”

“The team will have to pull together to dig deeper than it has before to produce the much improved results which our shareholders expect. We must continue to embrace change and adapt accordingly. It will be important to focus on our core operation’s performance which is of pivotal importance. We must undertake a careful review of our processes to eliminate waste and work with passion to improve efficiency. We will need to prospect for new sources of revenue, employ out-of-the-box thinking, display more initiative, and go the extra mile to deliver what our stakeholders (readers, advertisers, community, and the country at large) expect of us. We will continue to provide the ultimate customer service experience. Editorially, we will reinforce our market leadership position; promote literacy/education, job creation, crime reduction and the espousal of good family values. Finally, we need to continue to keep our government transparent and hold it to its promises in the preservation of our democracy; the main objective of a free press.”

Established in 1834 by the deCordova brothers (Joshua and Jacob), The Gleaner is a staple of Jamaican life and Barnes by his own account affirmed that he is committed to continuing and building on this historical institution’s reputation for excellence. BM