Opportunities provided by digital entrepreneurship for economic development will take centre stage at this year’s 7th staging of the Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture series.

The annual event scheduled to take place on Sunday is to be hosted by the Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership (JDSEEL) at the University of Technology in partnership with the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation. The memorial lecture aims to honour the vision, mission and passion of the late corporate leader and JMMB co-founder Joan Duncan.

Chairman of JMMB’s Joan Duncan Foundation, Patricia Duncan-Sutherland noted that the theme for this year’s lecture is extremely relevant, as businesses are increasingly called to embrace digital solutions and tap into their pioneering spirit, in a bid to better serve their client base and thrive in this ‘new normal environment’, resulting from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“This unprecedented time calls for leaders to have a strong vision, be possibility thinkers and solution-oriented in their approach, as well as demonstrate courage in taking their businesses forward, even as they positively impact their communities. As such, as this lecture takes a new shape, in keeping with the times, we hope to use this medium to empower and encourage entrepreneurs to break boundaries and to see the possibilities for growth, in times of adversity,” she said.

Among the speakers for this year’s staging will be digital marketing experts and entrepreneurs: Tyrone Wilson, founder, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of iCreate and Stacy Kirk, CEO of Quality Works, a consultancy firm located in the USA.

“They will share with the audience their perspectives on the role of technology (a data-driven approach), creativity and innovation in entrepreneurship, in the digital landscape. Both entrepreneurs incubated their respective businesses at UTech [University of Technology] Jamaica’s Technology Innovation Centre (TIC), which is part of the JDSEEL,” a release this week said.