VM Group President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Courtney Campbell has issued a call for business and civic leaders to take focused action at the community level to ignite a national transformation.

Campbell was speaking to business leaders at the St Ann Chamber of Commerce Directors’ and Committees’ Retreat, at the Cardiff Hotel & Spa, Runaway Bay, St Ann on Saturday February 3, 2024.

He pointed out that Jamaica has had no shortage of investment capital, yet, he said, despite some meaningful successes, the nation is not operating at a level required to realise its 2030 vision.

“The country knows which path to take, and it has the institutional structure and the funds to implement these well-articulated policies. It has simply bungled the execution,” he said.

“It is time for us to stop bungling the execution. We need more effective action to ensure that we deliver better outcomes in our schools, offer better service in our hospitals, have higher detection rates in our police force, and higher standards in our public infrastructure. We need better customer service and greater social standards and interactions. And, you know what? The change we need can start right here at the community level,” Campbell added.

The CEO urged the leaders of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce to consider what they could do immediately to bring about change.

“You have an opportunity, in fact, you have a duty to lead by example within your community. Your leadership in St Ann and its environs can inspire the entire nation. We need this. We need a transformation,” he said.

Campbell pointed to education as an area that needed immediate attention and urged the leaders to do whatever they could to help improve outcomes in their communities.

“Remember that education is not one-dimensional. At VM, for example, we place very strong emphasis on providing financial education to our members because we know that this is a powerful tool for empowerment. We are not in business to keep what we know to ourselves. We see it as our duty to share information so that as many people as possible can make wise financial decisions to uplift themselves, their families and their communities,” said Campbell.