Telecoms giant Flow Jamaica, in asserting its commitment to gender diversity and inclusion throughout its operations, says the equal split of its senior leadership team is something which the organisation has benefited from and one of which it is particularly proud.

Of the 14 executive positions, seven are held by women — Nyree Coke, director, customer experience; Sola Hines, director, legal affairs, Caribbean; Sara Martins de Oliveira, senior director, brand marketing communication; Kayon Mitchell, director, communications, and executive director Flow Foundation; Rochell Myers, director, C&W Business Jamaica; Phadra Saunders, director, people; and Susanna O’Sullivan, Flow’s first female senior director, technology operations.

During a recent Jamaica Observer Business Forum, Flow Jamaica Country Manager Stephen Price said the company is led by very strong, decisive, and knowledgeable managers who are highly dedicated and are always ready to take on the various challenges they have to face from day to day, as well as planning for the future, especially since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“I am extremely proud of the diversity of our management team at Flow. The fact that out of 14 senior managers we have an even split between females and males speaks volumes about the direction in which the company is going, as once someone has the talent of leaderships skills allied with knowledge competence in their particular field of endeavour, it does not matter at Flow whether that someone is male or female. We are pacesetters in this area and we are proud of our position of diversity as can be seen from the composition of our senior management team,” Price said.

Saunders explained her role as director, people and being a part of the management team.

“We are of the strong belief at Flow Jamaica that our team members are the most important asset that we have at the company. As the director, people, I am tasked with taking care of the welfare of all who work with the company. As the director, people, I am essentially, as others would say, the head of human resources, but we at Flow prefer the nomenclature people,” Saunders said.

“I am particularly gratified working on a management team that has an even make up of females and males. We all have to pull our weight, we all have to meet performance targets, we all have to do overtime as, especially since the onset of COVID-19, the demands that have been placed on us are staggering, but we have never relented, neither woman nor man on the management team at Flow, as we all realise that the whole country is depending on us as we move swiftly on the path of digital transformation,” she said.

“I am proud, no, in fact, I am very proud that the company I work with promotes equality for all and is a trendsetter in this area,” Saunders said.

Flow Jamaica currently employs close to 3,000 people, making it one of the largest local employers in the information technology (IT) sector.

The other members of the team are Rhys Campbell, director, business operations; Charles Douglas, director, regulatory affairs; John Durgan, chief financial officer; Paul Evans, director, business-to-consumer sales and distribution; Dwight K Williams, director, commercial, mobile; and Fabian Williams, director, fixed-mobile convergence.

As part of the Liberty Latin America group of companies, Cable & Wireless is one of the leading telecommunications and entertainment providers in the Caribbean and Latin America. Cable & Wireless Communications is the parent company of the brands Flow, C&W Business, and C&W Networks.