10 things you didn't know about Valerie Juggan-Brown

She is known and celebrated as being as tough as nails within the security industry.

Valerie Juggan-Brown has worked some 30 years with the security industry as head of Marksman Security, before the chairman of the Guardsman Group consolidated and restructured his Guardsman Group of Companies and appointed Valerie Juggan-Brown to head the near-6,000-employee-strong security entity! However, she has not lost her femininity, despite the challenge of being a lady in an industry dominated by men, and where oftentimes coarseness is mistaken for strength.

Juggan-Brown - as feminine as ever - is always armed with a winning smile and a charming disposition, which many say is her secret weapon. But she did not always occupy her seat of power as the leader of one of the region's largest private-security conglomerates. Indeed, before assuming management of Marksman Security, she donned a number of other professional hats.

Today, Outlook Magazine shares 10 things about Valerie Juggan-Brown, the leading lady of private security in Jamaica and across the region.

1 Not your typical and/or average woman. She takes no pleasure in idle gossip. She would much prefer to spend her time engaging in meaningful dialogue with others about correcting some of the much-talked-about ills affecting us as a society, with a view to implementing solutions.

2 Was schooled in Germany and is quite fluent in Dutch.

3 Believes in the strengthening and empowering of women, both at the workplace and with educational opportunities, not at the expense of men, but rather, as a practical solution where women are often the breadwinners in most households below the median level.

4 She is a trained nutritionist and a graduate of CAST (now the University of Technology). Her first job was at the Kingston Public Hospital.

5 She's a woman in a man's world, being in the security business for three decades as a director of the Guardsman Group of Companies. She has served in roles such as vice-president of the American Society Industry Security, and vice-president of the national chapter.

6 She is a trained hotelier. She worked at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel as one of the original members of staff who prepared it for its official opening!

7 She is married to civil engineer, Ronald Brown, and their only child, Marc-Antoine, is set to follow in his father's footsteps as he is months away from graduating with his master's degree in civil engineering.

8 She is an enthusiastic gardener who enjoys soca music with a passion and finds Hellshire Beach the perfect place to unwind.

9 She is an accomplished chef who does not particularly enjoy cooking, but when she does, she specialises in preparing unusual dishes. She believes no dish should be prepared the same way every time, as a fare should not only excite, but be able to surprise!

10 She is passionate about protecting the rights and education of children and is sometimes moved to tears when confronted by the atrocities meted out to our children. To correct this malady, she works behind the scenes to promote a healthy love, respect and interaction with children by adults and advocates for more stringent laws and punishment for abusers, including counselling for both the abusers and their victims.