KINGSTON, Jamaica – President and CEO of Jamaica Public Service, Kelly Tomblin, has announced the appointment of Gary Barrow as chief technical officer (CTO) of JPS.

According to a news release from the power company, the CTO role is designed in recognition of the fact that the strategic future of the company depends on engineering and technology excellence and innovation.

As CTO, Barrow will be in charge of bringing best in class engineering, technology, business processes, and innovation, while enhancing the activities of system control & operations.

“For the past three and a half years Gary has led various groups at JPS including Energy Delivery, Information Technology and Human Resources. In particular, Gary has been the author of our 2020 Vision for ‘Smart Power’, which includes smart grid and other devices,” said Tomblin.

“Gary has also been a strategic thought partner for the transformation journey at JPS and I know he will continue to further our growth in his new role, with focus on bringing greater global knowledge and practices as well as the latest technology into JPS. I am certain that JPS will not be the same company in 2020 with Gary in this role,” Tomblin said.

She said too that she hopes that “by segregating this centre of excellence, we can further partner more effectively with local learning institutions to create excitement around our sector and our company, and ultimately grow employment in related industries”.

An iconic business leader in the Jamaican private sector for over 20 years, JPS said Barrow’s extensive leadership experience in several disciplines, including engineering, finance, information technology, regulations, human resources, government relations, business transformation, power systems and process re-engineering, has resulted in him attaining tremendous success in his leadership roles in several organisations.

Prior to his positions at JPS, Barrow worked in Trinidad and Tobago as executive vice president of mobile services for Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago; senior director of Regulatory Strategy, Cable and Wireless plc London; and the president and CEO of Cable and Wireless Jamaica Limited. He also held senior positions in KPMG consulting and the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited early in his career.

Barrow holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Andreas School of Business at Barry University and a BSc in Electrical Engineering, with a major in Computer and Power Systems, from the Florida International University.