Ray retires
Published:Wednesday | February 9, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Mark Titus, Staff Reporter
The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is on the hunt for a new director of external affairs to replace Frank 'Tony' Ray, who goes into retirement by the second quarter of this year, but will 'retain a link' with the company as special adviser to the office of the president and chief executive officer (CEO), Damian Obiglio.
Speaking to Wednesday Business yesterday, Ray, who started his professional career at The Gleaner, before stints at Alcoa and Desnoes and Geddes (D&G), before joining the power company in 2002, said "There have been challenges but there have also been some fulfilling moments."
Ray joined the company during the transition from a public sector entity to a privately owned business, following the sale of 80 per cent equity in the monopoly firm to Mirant Corporation for US$200 million by the government of Jamaica.
"It was a good challenge, because it was at the start of privatisation and my task was to put together an external affairs division, streamlining the functions (and) initiating new thinking," he recalls.
"Because the transition from a government-owned organisation to a majority private sector one requires a lot of changes in the thinking, it requires me selling ideas to the board or the senior management of the company."
Ray is proud of the strides that the company has made through initiatives led by his division, which includes government and regulatory affairs, economic development, community relations and corporate communication.
"One needs to give back to communities from which one benefits, and we have chosen education as our social outreach programme," he said, "you are safe when you go with that."
Biggest challenge
The transition of ownership from Mirant to the Japanese firm Marubeni Caribbean Power Holdings stood out as his biggest challenge to date. "I have no regrets, and I have always been prepared for the challenges."
According to the CEO, Ray has been instrumental in the expansion of the firm's Corporate Social Responsibility programme, overseeing the rebranding of the organisation, and seeing the company through two major tariff reviews.
"Tony has played an invaluable role in changing the face of JPS," he said on Monday. "He has played a critical role in building and maintaining strong relations between the company and key stakeholders in both the public and private sectors."
JPS has started the search for a replacement, and will be advertising the position both internally and externally.
For Ray, retirement means that he will have more time for his work with Missionaries of the Poor, with which he has been "very involved" over the years, but he is prepared to listen to any offer for his services in 'relationship building' in the corporate world.