IT had been barely three months since Marlene Street Forrest stepped down from the Jamaica Stock Exchange after a quarter-century of what the institution itself called “exceptional and transformational leadership”. Her retirement, however, was short-lived. This January, she announced her return to the working world — but this time, emphatically, on her own terms. “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as managing director at Street Forrest Business Consultancy Ltd,” she posted on LinkedIn on 15 January 2026.

The move answered a question she had been hearing since the JSE announced her successor the previous September. “Okay, but you’re supposed to be retired, aren’t you?” For Street Forrest, the answer was never about leisure. “Some people say, ‘You go home and tend flowers,’ ” she said. “But my expertise is not in tending flowers. And, although I love flowers, flowers are not where I have my experience.”

The official transition had been set in motion the previous September when the JSE announced her successor, noting she would demit office on 30 September 2025, after more than two decades of service. For Street Forrest, the move was never about leaving the field, but about redirecting a lifetime of expertise.

“It was created to help businesses,” she told the Jamaica Observer of her new venture. “I’ve seen gaps… I see where there are many things in business where small, medium, and even large companies… need help in doing things like governance, things like operating policies,” she continued.

Her vision is forged directly from her experience at the helm of the region’s premier securities exchange. “I’ve seen where my experience can be leveraged in terms of capital market growth… given that I was in the belly of the beast, seeing some of the things that are lacking,” Street Forrest told the Business Observer. She explicitly cited “policymaking and the regulatory assistance” as areas where she can fill a void.

The consultancy, registered in 2025, will focus on clear, identified deficiencies, she said. “Well, as I said, many companies need help with their corporate governance structure,” she stated plainly. “You would be surprised at how many companies operate and their operating procedures are not written.”

Beyond structure, she plans a hands-on role. “I also would be looking at mentorship because I feel that I would have had the necessary insight… and the personality to assist by way of mentoring companies.” Her ambition also looks beyond national borders: “The other thing is that looking regionally… for countries that would like assistance in the build out of their capital market, specifically as it relates to the stock exchange.”

She clarified she is not undertaking this alone. “I’m not with a partner, [but] the idea is to pull on the strength of other consultants and other professionals… You draw from a team of credible industry providers in order to provide the service.”

The decision to launch was a conscious choice to extend her impact. “Because when you retire it really is not good to take all that knowledge and lock it up. It doesn’t do the country any good,” she explained. “Just look at it. You say you retire from a company [and] you have 26 years’ worth of knowledge in that. Do you not want to share it?”

While she is “working on prospects” she acknowledges the need to market her new chapter. Her first step was the LinkedIn update. “I realised that I have gotten quite a number of impressions. I was heartened by the number of persons who were very complimentary in what they said to me and encouraging — so that’s a good start.”

She also hinted at a personal dimension to her work ahead. “I would love to be able to work with the social sector. So even within the Street Forest Business Consultancy, if there are jobs that need my assistance from the standpoint of the social sector, that’s something that I’d love to be able to do.”

For Street Forrest, this new journey is about concrete, lasting influence. “I have to think about impact, you know, and I hope it contributes to stronger enterprises, better-governed institutions, and a more confident investment environment locally and regionally,” she said.

“Because impact is not measured really by visibility, but really by the systems. Remember, I kept emphasising the systems that continue to work long after I would have come in and assisted them. You know, those systems are what will uphold and strengthen business so that’s what I hope will happen,” she concluded.