Chairman and CEO of the Musson Group of Companies, Paul B Scott, was yesterday elected the 18th president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) at a council meeting held at the organisation’s Hope Road offices.

Scott succeeds William Mahfood, who served the organisation for 20 months but opted to demit office four months early in order to focus on his remit as Wisynco chairman, following the recent fire that occurred at the company’s warehouse.

Joining Scott are vice-presidents Dennis Cohen, deputy group managing director of the National Commercial Bank; Gary ‘Butch’ Hendrickson, managing director of Continental Baking Company Ltd; and Frank James, group chief financial officer at GraceKennedy Ltd.

Vikram Dihman, chief operating officer of the ICD Group, will hold the position of honorary treasurer. The honorary secretary will be appointed by the executive committee at their first meeting.

In accepting his election to the PSOJ’s top post, Scott expressed confidence in his executive team and plans to lobby for the interests of the PSOJ and the wider private sector.

“I am looking forward to the year ahead where we will continue the great work of presidents past and also forge into deeper advocacy; impacting definitive regulatory frameworks and changes for the growth of the local and regional economy,” he said via news release.

The new president also plans on forging ties with regional private sector organisations, creating greater efficiencies across countries.

“Governments have strong institutions at the regional level, but businesses do not. There is nobody to handle private sector advocacy at the regional level, and this is something I am looking forward to breaking through,” said Scott.

The PSOJ is governed by a 50-member council which is elected by the general membership to serve for a two-year period. As the governing body, the council sets the organisation’s policies and elects each year from amongst its members the executive committee.

— Karena Bennett