Susan Gordon, Business Reporter

Jean McPherson

Director of Marketing at Flow Jean McPherson is leaving the organisation next month. Her departure is almost on the heels of the resignation of another key person, Rick Pardy, the former chief executive officer who left in July.

But McPherson, spokesperson for Flow, says her decision to resign, unlike Pardy's, is to move on to new professional oppor-unities. A successor has not yet been named.

New opportunities

"I'm moving on from Flow at the end of October," McPherson confirmed with the Financial Gleaner. "It's just that time and I've had new opportunities which presented themselves, as well as I'm looking to overseas," she explained in a brief telephone interview.

"I came into Flow to help establish a solid company, build a brand and create a choice for Jamaicans in the provision of telecommunications and cable services. This has been done and it's a new season in my professional life. I am now moving on to other opportu-nities," she continued, reluctant to give more details.

McPherson's three-year stint with the Columbus Communica-tion Inc's subsidiary was not a smooth road, especially since Flow's advent in Jamaica was riddled with resistance from its competitors.

She was one of the prominent faces of Flow, who had to sing the praises of the company and do damage control in responding to the media, the Broadcasting Commission and at times angry customers, when her company successfully, and in a few cases controversially, acquired local cable companies.

The young professional who joined Flow in August 2005 in her 20's making her one of Jamaica's youngest female directors, developed and launched the Flow brand which provides telecommunications and cable services in Jamaica.

Trained in finance and economics along with an EMBA in marketing with distinction from the University of the West Indies and also a certified professional project manager, she lead the product development team to introduce residential and business digital cable, Internet and landline services.

Jean also established the sales and marketing teams, assisted in many early staff hires and was responsible for public and community relations for the over 100,000 customers Flow has acquired since its entrance into Jamaica.

Cornerstone

"Jean has been one of the cornerstones in the establishment of Flow. She has developed a solid brand that is now a Pan Caribbean brand," Michele English, president and chief executive officer (CEO)of Flow said of the decision adding it would be extremely difficult to fill Mc Pherson's shoes.

Prior to Flow, McPherson worked at the Jamaica Public Service doing business engineering as a senior analyst to improve the efficiency of the operation scheme that was being sold to Mirant.

Flow invested over US$180 million (J$13 Billion) in Jamaica to build out its fibre-optic cable system including US$80 million recently to develop its CFX-1 route, linking Morant Point with Boca Raton in Florida and Colombia. Flow is owned by John Risley, president and CEO of Clearwater Fine Foods, chairman of Canadian mutual fund company, AIC, which he co-owns with Jamaican-Canadian billionaire Michael Lee Chin and Brendan John Paddick.