Jamaica’s Five Most Powerful Women

What exactly defines power?

Is it how much money you have, how many people you can mobilise to your cause, or how much free reign you have to affect events and policies nationally? Is it about who you know, who knows you, or is it based on how many people or who listens and believes what you say when you speak?

We don’t really have an absolute barometer, but we think it’s a combination of all of the above. Here’s our very ‘scientific’ yardstick: if you ring and he’s halfway through lunch, would the prime minister put down his fork to take your call? Yes? Doesn’t automatically put you in the club, but at least your name can be considered.

We weighed it all – money, public stature, decision-making ability, national influence and credibility – and what we found was that while most avenues to power are dominated by men, there are a few women who have stood out head and shoulders above their female – and male – peers.

The five women on our list were chosen from a narrow selection, and whether they know it or the general public knows it, these are the women who wield an impressive amount of influence nationally, the women who can really call shots in Jamaica.

Agree? Disagree? Think we left someone out? Email us your thoughts at allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com or fax to 968-2025.

Portia Simpson Miller

Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport; contender for president of the People’s National Party

Easily the most photographed woman in Jamaica, ‘Sista P’, as she is known by her constituents and fans, is currently one of the longest-serving members of parliament in Gordon House.

Since she began her political career in the 1970s, she has never lost a general or local election she contested, drawing her support mainly from the under-priviliged masses.

Political acumen aside, her warm, down-to-earth nature disarms even her most rabid opponents, and even with a $2 billion scandal lurking in the wings, she remains way ahead of her competitors on both sides of the political fence as the politician Jamaicans want to be their prime minister.

With the power of the Jamaican people behind her, it seems Portia can do no wrong, making her a critical player in any major game.

Donna Duncan Scott

Managing Director and CEO of Jamaica Money Market Brokers Ltd

Quite possibly the wealthiest woman in Jamaica, her net worth is estimated to be in the region of J$5 billion, but even more important is how significantly Jamaica Money Market Brokers Ltd (the company her mother Joan Duncan started in 1992) has changed Jamaica’s financial landscape.

Essentially, JMMB transformed the small saver into an investor, allowing people who otherwise would feel intimidated by the money markets to understand the system and to make their money a part of it.

It was a revolutionary concept, but Donna Duncan Scott, since taking over in 1998, has expanded the vision, marrying hard-nosed business with ethics (‘a vision of love’ they call it). In late 2002, Donna took the company public, and in mere days made herself a billionaire several times over.

With a client base of over 70,000 and assets close to J$70 billion, JMMB last year made J$1.6 billion, which makes the company the largest non-deposit taking financial institution in Jamaica, and Donna, one of our country’s most powerful women.

Lorna Myers

President, Restaurants of Jamaica Ltd, operators of KFC and Pizza Hut

“Gutsy”, “jovial” and “fabulous” are just some of the words that describe this dynamic business woman who hardly skipped a beat when her husband died leaving her with a fledgling business and three young children to support.

In 1975, Lorna and Tony Myers’ Restaurants of Jamaica Limited (ROJ) was the first to bring an international brand of fast-food – Kentucky Fried Chicken – to the island and for years afterwards, even when other fast-food restaurants entered the scene, KFC dominated, and Jamaicans’ love for chicken sent profits spiralling.

Today, ROJ employs over 2,000 Jamaicans who work within 34 KFC restaurants and five Pizza Hut outlets islandwide. By year-end, that number should rise to 40 KFCs and seven Pizza Huts, and while there is no public monetary figure to indicate the company’s annual profits, just a peek into any KFC on a Friday night in Jamaica should give an indication of how heavy a player Lorna Myers is in the Jamaican economy.

Barbara Gloudon

Journalist, Playwright, Communications Consultant

The unofficial conscience of Jamaica, the Honourable Barbara Gloudon, OJ, Grand Dame of talk radio lords over the airwaves each afternoon, reminding us just who we are supposed to be as Jamaicans and urging us to get back there.

A working journalist for over 50 years, she is best known as the feisty host of RJR’s Hotline, consistently one of the top public affairs on radio. Beyond that, Mrs Gloudon’s many achievements and her contribution to the arts, media and cultural heritage in Jamaica underline her credibility as an authority on most things Jamaican. Love her or hate her, she has the ear of the truly powerful, as well as the respect of the masses.

Lois Lake Sherwood

Managing Director, Restaurant Associates Ltd, operators of Burger King and Popeye’s

Petite and sophisticated, Lois Lake Sherwood is an accomplished and successful visual artist, but although that makes her essential to Jamaica’s thriving art scene, it’s her business endeavours that bring her into this very elite club.

Not only is she estimated to be a multi-millionaire, but she sits on the boards of several Jamaican companies, the most significant being Restaurant Associates Ltd, the company that holds the franchise for Burger King and Popeye’s restaurants in Jamaica.

Burger King is currently the second largest fast-food franchise in Jamaica, with 19 outlets in Jamaica, and one, the Half-Way-Tree restaurant, a particular prize catch, having been named the top selling Burger King in the world for several years on end.

Lois Lake Sherwood brings a quiet elegance to anything she touches, and under her quiet leadership her family has amassed a tidy fortune. But while she prefers to allow her children to be the public face of the companies, the immense power she wields in this country is like her, understated.