Leaders in both the private and public sectors interacted with peers across the world while getting insights into leadership from experts at the John Maxwell Live2Lead conference on Friday.

The online event also had a limited in-person VIP session at the Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew with Forbes Magazine’s experts imparting knowledgeable leadership concepts for those who attended.

Chief Executive Officer of organisers Creative Concept Limited, Erica McKenzie, said the Live2Lead conference is the start of an ongoing process for the participants. McKenzie is also the Executive Director for the John Maxwell team in Jamaica.

“They will go through learning experience on leadership and how they will use those resources to help develop and grow the leadership team of these amazing companies that were a part of this experience,” McKenzie said.

According to entertainer Geddys ‘Ch4se’ Ferguson, it was an enlightening experience with tidbits of leadership insights that he will be able to use in the running of his business.

“It is my first Live2Lead so I didn’t have anything to compare it to, but just overall I feel like it was packed with value, just in terms of the thought leaders that are involved, the messages and the people who are attending the event that I can connect with to share their experiences and value.

“It was very empowering. I feel like the real value in just connecting to the stories that each speaker had to share,” Ferguson said.

Senior Director for Project and Enterprise Risk Management at Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), Amy Johnson-Lynch, believes the experience added leadership knowledge to use to enhance the lives of workers at the government agency.

“It was timely, it was relevant and it is the meeting of great minds, of great leaders and the takeaways have been pretty phenomenal.

“What stood out for me most was that leadership is a perspective and embedded in that perspective is how successful we are in influencing people, adding value to their lives and in just embracing change. That was most significant,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Meanwhile, Scotiabank’s President and CEO Audrey Tugwell-Henry won the Live2Lead Leadership Award, while Seprod Group’s CEO, Richard Pandohie copped the Live2Lead Leading With Significance Award.

The Creative Brand Youth Scholarship Award was won by Mickalia Huie of Central High School in Clarendon, who got an unanimous vote from the judges for her essay on the work that she is currently doing in her community.