Jamaica’s biggest company for 2010 and 2009 is GraceKennedy

In compiling this list the following were taken into consideration. In terms of ownership all companies in the list are publicly quoted and traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. With respect to the methodology used, Companies are ranked according to financial year 2010 data published by the Jamaica Stock Exchange. All figures are quoted in JA$ (,000).

As can be seen from the results on four companies listed below were able to post positive results above 2009 figures, largely indicating how challenging the business environment was in 2010.

Jamaica’s biggest company for 2010 and 2009 is GraceKennedy, one of the Caribbean’s largest and most dynamic corporate entities. The company started in Jamaica in 1922 as a small trading establishment and wharf operators has expanded and diversified over the years, changing from a privately-owned enterprise to a public company listed on the stock exchanges of Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Douglas Orane, Executive Chairman of GraceKennedy Limited, a position he assumed on July 1, 2011

Douglas Orane, Executive Chairman of GraceKennedy Limited, a position he assumed on July 1, 2011 is largely credited for the performance of the company. Prior to this position, he served as CEO from 1995 and, in 1998, added Chairman of the GraceKennedy Board of Directors to his portfolio. Mr. Orane’s career at GraceKennedy began in 1981 when he joined the company as Corporate Planner. Since then he has held several leadership positions in almost all areas of the highly diversified Group. An engineer by training, Mr. Orane holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Glasgow University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School where he earned a Masters degree in Business Administration.

Under his guidance, GraceKennedy has articulated a vision of transforming itself from a Jamaican trading company into a global consumer products and services Group by the year 2020. His insistence on benchmarking to the best companies internationally has contributed to GraceKennedy’s success, and its continued profitability even in an unpredictable Jamaican economy.

Don Wehby who became Group Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2011

The future of GraceKennedy Limited now rest in the hands of Don Wehby who became Group Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2011. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Wehby was Group Chief Operating Officer, a position he took up when he rejoined the company on October 5, 2009.

Today, the GraceKennedy Group comprises a varied network of some 60 subsidiaries and associated companies located across the Caribbean and in North and Central America and the United Kingdom. BM