NEW YORK, USA — Successful Jamaican entrepreneur Vincent HoSang, CEO and President of two international wholesale food distributors — Royal Caribbean Bakery and Caribbean Food Delights — will become the first Jamaican-born and Caribbean national residing in New York to receive the Commonwealth Award from the St George’s Society, held at the exclusive New York Metropolitan Club on December 10, 2010.

“The Commonwealth Award is a result of our mission to foster strong relationships with organisations like the St. George’s Society of New York,” explained Jamaica Consul General Genieve Brown-Metzger. “This helps to promote and expose the positive achievements by Jamaicans that ultimately benefits.

Said John Shannon, executive director of St George’s Society of New York: “The Award has set forth a new era in recognising a successful, charitable business person from Jamaica, a former British Commonwealth, living in New York… It also marks a change from our tradition to award successful and charitable executives from the UK living in New York.”

Since its founding in 1770, St George’s Society has been an important social membership organisation, giving aid and assistance to thousands of people from the UK and the British Commonwealth living in the New York area.

“It’s important to remember where one comes from, and I come from humble beginnings from which hard work and success has paid off,” said the pending Commonwealth Award winner, Vincent HoSang, adding “It’s been just as important for me to help fellow Jamaicans and Caribbean nationals in need since I understand their challenges first-hand.”

Metzger sits on the St George’s Society of New York’s Advisory Board and continues to build relationships between the organization and notable Jamaican and Caribbean Diaspora who can make a difference in helping those in financial need.

Brown-Metzger was appointed Jamaica’s eighth consul general to New York City in February 2008, covering a jurisdiction of 33 states, Puerto Rico and Bermuda. Her work in Diaspora engagement has focused on developing relationships between Jamaican entities and the U.S. private and public sectors in order to drive growth and development in health care, education and sports in Jamaica.

During her nearly two and one-half year tenure as Consul General, Brow-Metzger has transformed the office through the use of innovative communications online platforms, ramped-up customer service, and developed key strategic partnerships that have redounded invaluable support for Jamaica. The consul general has launched such initiatives as an entrepreneur mentorship programme in association with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation and spearheaded a major prostate cancer conference in partnership with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre.