THE Jamaica Observer Business Leader Award presentation has been pushed back from next month to late February 2016, to avoid a probable clash with the general election which many believe is being planned for December.

Danville Walker, managing director of the Jamaica Observer Ltd, said that the pre-emptive move on the part of the newspaper reflected its desire to promote the achievements of the companies that are being nominated for the award in an environment of greater attentiveness to non-political events and stories.

“We believe there is a high probability that the election will be called in December and it would be difficult to penetrate the campaign noise,” said Walker. “The Business Leader programme, especially with our theme this year, deserves the full attention of all Jamaicans.”

The focus of the award is corporate philanthropy — companies that are transforming the lives of individuals and, in some instances, entire communities through their selfless giving of cash, kind and expertise.

Ten firms are being nominated for the award from a shortlisted group of 20. It marks only the third time in the 19 years of the programme that companies rather than individuals are being nominated. The first instance was is in 2012 when, as a nod to Jamaica’s 50th Independence anniversary, the nomination pool was made up of local institutions that had survived at least 50 years in Jamaica’s tumultuous economy, and which had had profound economic impact on the country. That year, Grace Kennedy Ltd and the Hendrickson family of businesses shared the title of “Business Leader Corporate”. This was followed in 2013 with recognition to Government institutions that facilitated the growth and development of private sector corporations. The HEART Trust/NTA was declared Business Leader that year.

According to Walker, the sponsors of the programme who have all been notified of the change of date for the award presentation have remained steadfast in their commitment to the project. They are: Digicel Jamaica, Bank of Nova Scotia, Jamaica Yellow Pages, and Wray and Nephew.

The members of the Business Leader Award selection committee have all supported the decision, making the case that corporate charity was particularly vital to Jamaica and that the stories on companies that had made giving central to their operation ought not to be drowned out by election noise.

The members of the award selection committee are: Ambassador Audrey Marks, principal of Paymaster Jamaica Ltd; Professor Neville Ying, executive director of Jamaica Diaspora Institute; Fred Smith, principal of Tropical Tours Ltd; Audrey Hinchcliffe, principal of Manpower and Maintenance Ltd; Charles Ross, principal of Sterling Asset Management Ltd; Gassan Azan, principal of MegaMart Store and Bashco Ltd; and Ian Neita, CEO of Global Directories, publishers of the Jamaica Yellow Pages across 15 Caribbean territories.

Moses Jackson, founder of the award programme and chairman of the selection committee, welcomed the decision to postpone the presentation, but added that the stories on the companies that had been nominated would start appearing in the Observer newspaper once the election was out of the way.

“We are moved by how many of these companies treat philanthropy not as a means to an end, but as a virtuous end in itself,” said Jackson. “We hope that through our stories, we will be able to adequately capture their transformative social and economic impact, and their demonstration effect in pulling other smaller firms into the culture of corporate giving.”