KINGSTON, Jamaica — A quiet force and leader of high standards who contributed immensely to the strength of The Jamaica National Group (JN) is how Chairman Elizabeth Ann Jones has summarised the legacy of the late JN director and attorney-at-law, Dorothy Pine-McLarty, who died on Sunday.

“Mikki, as she was affectionately called, used her profound knowledge of the law to provide sound counsel to Jamaica National. She was first appointed to the board of directors of the Jamaica National Building Society in September 1998,” stated Jones as she chronicled Pine-McLarty’s JN journey.

“Following the conversion of the building society in 2017, her service extended to other member companies in the JN Group including The Jamaica National Group Limited, JN Financial Group Limited, JN Money Services Limited and several board committees. She also served as chair of the board of trustees of the JN Individual Retirement Scheme,” added Jones.

The prominent attorney-at-law, who practised for more than 50 years, is remembered by Earl Jarrett, JN Group chief executive officer (CEO) and deputy chairman, as someone whom he held in the highest esteem.

“I had the privilege of working very closely with Mikki in her various capacities, as a practising attorney-at-law; at the Electoral Commission of Jamaica; through her philanthropic activities; and of course, her association with Jamaica National,” Jarrett recounted.

“She was a stickler for accuracy, and we were the beneficiaries of this through her immeasurable contribution to the growth and development of Jamaica National,” Jarrett added.

Alongside her professionalism was her passion for service and advocacy, Jarrett recalled. “Mikki was an example of someone who constantly renewed and repurposed herself through the various programmes she is involved in.”

As a devout member of the Methodist Church and the board of governors of her alma mater, the St Andrew High School for Girls, and the chancellor’s nominee to the council of the University of Technology, Pine McLarty was involved in various community development initiatives including her significant work to advance women’s leadership, especially those targeted at empowering women and girls.

Her philanthropic focus mirrored her own professional trajectory, as she was the first woman to be appointed a commissioner of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica in 2007 and later became its first woman chair in 2013.

Melding her JN roots and professional career as managing partner of Myers Fletcher & Gordon’s London, England office, her advocacy extended to shoring up bridges between the United Kingdom (UK) and Jamaica to enable the building of stronger relationships with the Jamaican Diaspora in the UK.

Her leadership and contributions to nation-building were recognised over the years. In 2007, the Government of Jamaica inducted Pine-McLarty into the nation’s fourth highest honour, the Order of Jamaica, for outstanding public service.

She was also conferred with an honorary Doctor of Business Administration by the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean in 2019.

“Her years of service to the people of Jamaica and those within her immediate reach, and, of course, her service to the building of The Jamaica National Group, are efforts that have laid foundations for success and the growth of many,” the JN Group chairman memorialised her colleague and friend.

“She is dearly missed, but her legacy lives on in the foundations she built through years of service to Jamaica, Jamaicans and Jamaica National,” Jones concluded.