Exuding admirable humility, Nicola Madden-Greig — corporate-chic in a red Calvin Klein shift dress — meets us for martini sips in the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel’s Blend Bar + Lounge just five days after being elected president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA). Madden-Greig, a decades-long veteran in the tourism industry, assures us she’s ready to juggle her day job as group director of marketing and sales at The Courtleigh Hotel Group, with her new presidential appointment. There’s much to discuss and the poised dynamo has our ear.

Congratulations on your election to the JHTA presidency. What’s your game plan for your one-year tenure?

I definitely want to continue to have the association grow. We have to bring in more members into the fold and to delver better services to our membership. Obviously, in the bigger scheme of things we want to see how we can increase arrivals into the destination so [I’ll be] working closely with the Jamaica Tourist Board and our various area chapters to look at how we can do some niche marketing to promote all the various aspects that we have in tourism.

What tangible measures do you hope to implement or tap into to boost tourist arrivals?

One of the things that I think we are not utilising enough is the strength of our attractions. Just as when one thinks of visiting Orlando, you figure out the attractions you are going to and where you will stay, we have the most beautiful and largest number of attractions in Jamaica, and we are not quite utilising that asset to drive business to our destination. Where they choose to stay is completely up to them; we have strong all-inclusive brands that bring people here and our attraction brands need to raise their bar and be able to drive visitor arrivals as well.

Where do you see Jamaica’s tourism product heading in the next decade?

I think we need to be more focused on the new consumers coming into the marketplace — the younger generation, the millenials, and how they want to experience the destination. They are more adventurous, they are not their grandparents, they want a more interactive and sophisticated experience, so I think with our other assets, Port Antonio, Kingston and the south coast which are underutilised now, we can use those areas to target that consumer who is more adventure-driven and more willing to get out of the box and go out and experience the country.

Was being in tourism a strategic career choice for you?

Strangely enough it was not my first choice. In high school at Convent of Mercy Alpha Academy, a friend of mine said, with my personality and way of looking at life, it was an industry that would be good for me. I figured I would see what it was about, and it got in my blood and I have been in it ever since. I started with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in Florida and then I came home and was with Half Moon Hotel, then the Jamaica Pegasus, the Courtleigh, Knutsford Court, Holiday Inn and then back to the Pegasus.

What are you sipping?

Martinis are usually my cocktail of choice if I am not having wine.

What are your must-have beauty essentials?

MAC products; they go everywhere with me.

Who does your hair and nails?

Both are done at Manor Collections.

Who inspires you to take notes from their business or life playbook?

More than anything else, my inspiration has come from the person who moulded me, my first principal, Mary Bernadette, who is now deceased. I think she put an indelible mark on me in terms of what a woman should be like and what good character is, so I try to live up to her standards. There has also been a wide cross-section of persons in the industry whom I respect — Heinz Simonitch and Myrtle Dwyer, who are quality-driven, no-compromise people. I’ve developed an abiding respect for Karl and Kevin Hendrickson who I work with in my current capacity. They are both humble and hard-working and no job is below them. I remember when I first came to the Courtleigh, my chairman was on the floor helping a tiler and showing him how to grout — that was how I met him.

What’s the best advice you ever received?

Try not to be too stressed and just relax, and don’t take it too seriously.

What’s your idea of the perfect man?

One whom I can trust, who is respectful of me and whom I respect; someone who is honest. That would be my husband Stephen Greig.

What’s your idea of the perfect date?

Something adventurous where we can go out and have a new experience, and makes you aware of your environment — up in the mountains, hiking.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I see myself continuing to grow in my career and deepening my relationship with family and friends. Sometimes you get caught up in work and you lose a little of that, and I have been busy over the years and lost some good friends.