IT was a fitting swansong for a man who served a company for over 20 years and a rousing welcome for another for whom expectations seemed boundless.

On Wednesday evening, the friends, family and staff of Carreras Limited said a jolly farewell to outgoing managing director Michael ‘Sir B’ Bernard, a man hailed by Danielle Chow, director in sister company Trinidad and Tobago West Indian Tobacco, for his “impeccable reputation for honesty, integrity and humility”.

Bernard seemed eager to move on with his career after Carreras as an active retiree and philanthropist, urging the inimitable songstress Karen Smith to get through the musical blessings she invoked on the occasion, held at the Terra Nova Hotel poolside.

“For me, it has been a wonderful journey, one that has been mutually rewarding and one that has allowed me to self-actualise, one that has given me the capacity and the resources to move forward in my philanthrophic endeavours,” Bernard told the guests.

Bernard, who retires early at age 53 and with much still to offer, later told Caribbean Business Report (CBR) that tertiary education would be his major philanthrophic endeavour, while he will also continue to sit on the board of Carreras.

“I am contemplating putting together an education foundation. But with or without that foundation in place, the plan is for the next school year… I’ll be awarding a number of scholarships and bursaries to tertiary education,” Bernard said. He said the scholarships, which will be funded by him, will extend across all academic majors as long as certain criteria are met.

“Once we can identify students who have a sense of purpose, who have an idea as to what they want to do, how to contribute to national development, then any major that would fit that mould would be eligible,” Bernard said. He leaves Carreras after 23 years, during which time he served as manager of the Jamaica Biscuit Company, managing director of the Cigarette Company of Jamaica Limited, the Agricultural Products of Jamaica Limited and since 2005, Carreras Limited.

Bernard has steered Carreras through a period of significant change as managing director. Under his stewardship, Carreras has moved from a multi-business enterprise to an organisation that is focused on driving its core tobacco business.

Carreras warmly welcomed Richard Pandohie as the new managing director of the company.

Pandohie, who joined the Carreras Group in 1994 as a management trainee, has worked his way through various disciplines to arrive at the helm of the tobacco company. He has served as head of anti-illicit trade and security at British American Tobacco, Caribbean and Central America (BATTCA) parent company, as operations manager at the Jamaica Biscuit Company when it was owned by Carreras, and has worked in retail, brand development, production, supply chain management, warehousing and distribution.

“Richard has an awesome task ahead of him and that task includes not just managing the risk associated in running the company to continue to build shareholder value, but I’ve given him a mandate,” said Bernard in his welcome to the new managing director.

“This mandate is to ensure that Carreras remains profitable so that not only the dividend payments, but also the pension income will be secure,” Bernard outlined, adding “Richard is fully qualified to take the baton from me and to continue the process of building shareholder value for Carreras and building value that all the stakeholders can benefit from.”

“Richard is a Calabar ‘old boy’, he knows how to take the baton. Come and take the baton from a Jamaica College ‘old boy’,” Bernard quipped, to chuckels from the guests, which included members of the board and management of Carreras, members of government, the opposition and the media.

Pandohie said one of his goals in his new role will be to build relationships with distributors, customers, employees, Government and other partners.

“As we prepare for the many uncertainties that face us as a business… it will be the people who care about this business that will see us through. So my focus will be on who impact our business,” Pandohie explained.

“I pledge to continue the strong tradition of investing in these relationships to build value for all concerned parties. We will have open and frank discussions with government to ensure that the taxation policy does not result in diminishing returns to either of us. We will hold discussions with legislators to ensure balanced tobacco control measures are put in place that respect the rights of all,” he said.