Garfene Grandison has been appointed general manager of the Nestlé Jamaica Health and Wellness Foundation.

Grandison joined Nestlé Jamaica Ltd in 2017 where he served as public relations and digital manager until assuming this new responsibility related to the company’s foundation.

In his new position Grandison will be responsible for the implementation of the strategic goals and objectives of the Nestlé Jamaica Health and Wellness Foundation, which will enable the board to accomplish its governance obligations and to provide direction and leadership toward the achievement of the foundation’s mission, strategy, annual goals, and objectives.

The new general manager will also be responsible for building the foundation’s public image, cultivating relationships, and making strategic grant investments to non-profit organisations that will advance and support the mission of the foundation.

Grandison is looking forward to meeting the challenges head-on.

“Heading a foundation is not something I saw in my future, and especially not at the age of 30,” he stated. “However, I am pretty excited about the programmes that fall under the foundation and how I will be able to make an impact with the resources that will be at my disposal.”

Previously, as public relations and digital manager at Nestlé Jamaica Ltd, Grandison oversaw public relations and digital media strategies for six global brands. He was primarily responsible for the operational management of the consumer communications portfolio that drives shareholder value, with focus on building the Nestlé Jamaica brand through corporate storytelling and mitigating reputational risks.

Grandison, now focused on the foundation, with responsibilities that are much wider than marketing, will manage vendors, business partners and external agencies to facilitate foundation projects while evaluating grant proposals and requests and assessing programmes and organisations applying to and funded by the foundation.

He will still be involved in communications by assisting with digital content development and postings on the foundation’s website, Twitter channel and other digital platforms.

Grandison began his career in May 2007, where he became heavily immersed in media for seven years starting in the editorial departments of the Jamaica Observer before moving to another print media house, The Gleaner. as assistant lifestyle editor where he conceptualised and successfully implemented initiatives to increase readership and client engagement.

He then moved on to Columbus Communications Jamaica Ltd in 2014 focusing on project management, event planning and public relations. His time spent in that role saw a 50 per cent increase in publicity for both the FLOW and Columbus Business Solutions brands.

The next step on his career path was the position of assistant manager for corporate social responsibility at Sagicor in 2015 where he garnered over $90 million in publicity for the brand over a one-year period. There he was also in charge of other aspects and projects of the Sagicor Foundation before being promoted to the position of assistant manager for public relations and CSR at Sagicor Group.

Grandison believes that his accumulated experience will stand him in good stead for the road ahead in serving the Nestlé Jamaica Health and Wellness Foundation.

“I hope that with my garnered experience from these different entities over the years, coupled with my love for communication, that I will be able to impact persons across Jamaica in a positive light as it pertains to nutrition, health and wellness,” he said. “I think as a people it is up to us to take our well-being into our own hands and that can only start with knowledge so my aim is to arm people with this knowledge, so that they can make better decisions that will affect their wellness…wellness of the mind, wellness of the body, and wellness of the heart.”

Grandison was educated at Campion College and pursued his tertiary education at The University of the West Indies, Mona where he earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies.