Nayana Williams — She’s the boss

SHE thrives on challenges, is structured and organised, and has a constant drive to deliver results. Chief executive officer and founder of Lifespan Company Limited, Nayana Williams, is always seeking to advance herself and her business.

No stranger to Jamaicans, Williams built the manufacturing company from the ground up, to become a market leader in bottled spring water, by managing the company from a three-person operation to a $700 million plus revenue generator with 155 employees, and achieved a growth rate of over 10,000 per cent by 2019.

If you have not met this powerhouse of a woman, now is the time!

With a master of law in international trade and alternative dispute resolution from the University of Cumbria, Williams is skilled in business management, strategy, marketing and sales, and design management. And she sat down with All Woman last Friday to share some more about herself, the woman boss. 

AW: How would you introduce yourself to the world?

NW: Aside from being a God-fearing wife, a loving mother and CEO of my own company, I am practical, creative, caring, kind, wise, health conscious, responsible, brilliant, humble, powerful ,and an expert in my field of business. 

AW: What was your first job? What was your salary?

NW: My first job was a graphic artist getting paid US$500 per week. 

AW: Have you drawn professional inspiration from other women? Tell us about someone who has inspired you.

NW: I have always been fascinated by women who have crossed boundaries and opened doors for other women. A few of the women who have inspired me are Rosa Parks and Josephine Baker. In recent times, Angela Merkel, who has demonstrated what it means to be a true leader and a fearless woman. 

AW: What would you say is your best career achievement to date?

NW: My brand Lifespan Spring Water winning the Monde Selection Grand Gold International Quality Award two years in a row. Building this company from inception is something I am extremely proud of. 

AW: Can women have it all?

NW: Having it all means different things to different people; however, a woman can have a career, a family and be successful at it while living a life of balance, freedom and happiness. It’s a matter of individual choice. 

AW: What is your go to place for inspiration/motivation?

NW: My go to place is my hammock to relax and look out at the ocean, the sky and the greenest of the trees. I feel very peaceful and connected to nature when I am in this environment. I am lover of the environment and nature. 

AW: What’s the most interesting thing you can see outside your office/kitchen window?

NW: From my kitchen window, I can see my cypress tree standing green over dark blue walls with wooden accents blending into nature. From my office window I can see the loading dock and the warehouse stretching north into an endless green of lawn and trees swaying to the gentle breeze. 

AW: What does self-care/unwinding look like for you?

NW: Unwinding for me is swimming or walking in the early hours of the morning and listening to music. 

AW: What’s your current state of mind in these COVID times?

NW: I feel optimistic that like everything else we will move past this pandemic into a new era of learning and growing. 

AW: What is your biggest fear about the next few years?

NW: I am fearless. I do not worry about anything that I have no control over. The future is a dream which I look forward to; however, the present is what I know now and what I am grateful for in this moment. 

AW: If you could be prime minister for a day, what would you do first for women?

NW: I would support legislation for gender equality and mandate schools to promote equal rights for all through educational programmes, as well as the equal treatment of boys and girls in the home. 

AW: Would you consider yourself a feminist?

NW: I am a strong woman. yes; however, I believe in marriage and family and cooking for my family and taking care of the home even if I do not physically do it myself all the time. I honour my husband. We both treat each other as equals in love and partnership. 

AW: What’s your biggest pet peeve?

NW: I detest bad behaviour and an attitude of complaining. 

AW: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love?

NW: I have done a few crazy things when it comes to love. I would not want to share it here (laugh). What I can say is that I have grown wiser and more sure of myself and love for me is growing to appreciate the other person’s faults and qualities alike and remaining non-judgmental and supportive.