Emanuel DaRosa will be vacating his post as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to take up the new role of vice-president (VP) for Korea East-West Power Barbados (EWPB).

EWP Barbados SRL is a major shareholder of JPS, of which its new VP will also continue to serve in the role of chairman for JPS’ operations committee, also assuming the role of management committee chairman for the South Jamaica Power Company (SJPC).

DaRosa will demit office on May 31 to take up his new role the following day, wherein he will have overall responsibility for overseeing the organisation’s ongoing operations in the Americas as well as the development of new business opportunities.

In commenting on his new appointment, DaRosa told the Jamaica Observer that he is excited to begin his new role with the Korean shareholders.

“EWP is a great organisation with ambitions to grow internationally while at the same time adding value wherever they operate. In truth, it was them who hired me and brought me to Jamaica for my first international assignment. The path of life has been grooming me for something that I must do and brought me to where I am today, about to enter my next phase—bring it on I’m ready! ” he shared with the Business Observer.

He disclosed that his successor will be announced within a week and the person is also someone with international working experience in the electrical industry. He advised the incoming CEO to utilise patience to navigate the challenges.

“Being the CEO of JPS is a challenging job, so embrace the challenges as there are so many competing demands and resources can be quite limited,” he said.

The outgoing CEO in admitting that the cost of electricity remains a variable and an issue that must be addressed, said that in his new role, which allows him to provide oversight for JPS, he will continue to work towards addressing these issues.

“Lowering the price of electricity is required to improve the quality of life and strengthen the economy. While I have worked to lower cost in so many areas, even lowering operating cost, yet we still haven’t achieved it. However, we can continue and must never give up and continue to look for possible ways to improve the efficiency of generating and distributing electricity,” he said.

He further expressed his hope for the company going forward as being one that will be among world leaders.

“I am proud of what we as a team have accomplished in my time with JPS and I’m predicting that in the next five years you will see JPS rise to the top of electricity providers not only in the Caribbean but well beyond,” he further told the Business Observer.

DaRosa having served JPS for the last three years has led significant advancements, ranging from the implementation of energy diversification initiatives to increased efficiency measures and improved financial performance. His major accomplishments include the construction of the South Jamaica Power Centre, the Hunt’s Bay Energy Storage System —said to be the largest hybrid storage system in the world, the installation of over 330,000 smart meters and 60,000 smart LED street lights.

Under his leadership, the light and power company achieved its highest ever reliability, fleet fuel efficiency, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), while trimming operating costs by 14 per cent. DaRosa has some 27 years of electrical utility experience working in the areas of distribution, transmission, and generation.

Bok Hoa Jeong, chairman of JPS, described him as a “result-oriented leader” with a strong record of accomplishments.

“He has an impressive list of accomplishments throughout his career, which has focused on elevating organisations to higher levels of operational performance, and we look forward to benefiting from Emanuel’s ability to enhance organisational growth,” Jeong said.