Paramount Trading (Jamaica) Limited Managing Director Hugh Graham was a bit more strategic with his take on the Applaud It! initiative. Being the People’s National Party councillor for the Lluidas Vale division in St Catherine, Graham decided to fete a group of 12 students from his constituency to a luncheon at the Jade Garden Restaurant in Kingston last Friday. Among the guests of honour was Akieem Henderson, a fifth-form student at Calabar High School — Graham’s alma mater.

In no time Graham was fielding questions from the students during the question and answer ice-breaker. The students relished the opportunity to get comfortable with the executive and quizzed him on topics that ranged from his aspirations at their age to the completion of his life-long goals with questions in-between about the challenges he’s faced with today. St Jago High School fifth-form student Zalika O’Connor’s first question was: “What are some of the greatest obstacles you face?” to which Graham responded “The obstacles are great and plenty. The biggest challenge is human capital. It is easy to get a cohort of people working for you. It is harder to get the people who fit in the organisation who are willing to teach others and help them along the way.”

This was followed by a question Calabar High School fifth-former Akieem Henderson, who asked “Where do you see Paramount Trading (Jamaica) Limited in the next 10 years?” After careful deliberation, Graham responded, “For starters, I’m hoping that some of you will be at the helm, and I’ll be out by then. I see Paramount becoming a major distributor, earning US net dollars and exporting enough to pay ourselves and not rely on the Jamaican Government for sustenance.”

The ice-breaker segued into lunch and more conversation, with Graham’s banker Tami Waul-Douglas stopping by to greet the students and support her client. Waul-Douglas urged the students to listen keenly to Graham’s words of wisdom, as he’s the best person to provide business advice. “He know’s everything; he’s been through it all,” she said.

Charlemont High School sixth-form student Nandrea Walker posed another question to Graham. “What is your biggest dream, and have you accomplished it?” This provided Graham the opportune time to share the story of his dreams of leaving his mother’s home at 19 years old and inviting her to live with him. He accomplished this dream when he was 27 years old.

The students were presented with gift bags containing a power bank and branded stationery from Paramount Traders (Jamaica) Limited. They enjoyed the experience so much they had one question for Graham before parting ways, “When is the next one?”

As we applaud the last in our series — Applaud It! Thursday Life thanks our industry leaders who took time out of their busy schedule to motivate our next generation of leaders.

(PHOTOGRAPHER: BRYAN CUMMINGS)