Vindel L. Kerr

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF RELEVANT COMPETENCIES AND WORK EXPERIENCE Core Competencies: Corporate Governance, Leadership and Administration

• Corporate Restructuring, Transformation & Turnaround
• Enterprise Risk Management
• Strategic Planning & MEAL
• Evidence-based Policy Development
• Competitive Intelligence & Analysis & Marketing Strategy
• Board and Executive Performance Evaluation & Improvement Plans
• Executive Leadership Development
• Strategic Performance Management
• Analytics: AI & Computer-based Apps. Governance, Strategy & Transformation Adept, Commercially Astute, People, Processes & Systems’ Focused. Countries lived, studied and/or worked: Jamaica
• USA, UK, Trinidad & Tobago
• Barbados, most of the OECS, The Bahamas, Belize, The Turks & Caicos Islands, Suriname, Mauritius, Malaysia, South Africa and Namibia.

CEO & Head, ESG, Strategy, Policy & Transformation - GovStrat Limited

(2022-04)

• Lead and direct: day-to-day operations, corporate/strategic planning, strategy execution, budgets, marketing and communication, and engagements with select key stakeholders – clients, suppliers, regulators and others spanning various industries.
• Own, advise on, and participated in: development, promulgation and implementation of all in-house and external client strategic plans, policies, corporate governance frameworks, board governance structures, charters and codes.
• Serve: as advisor and consultant: to boards / clients’ deliverables spanning corporate transformation, CG and policy.
• Direct & monitor: the formation of assessments models for improvements in business processes/workflows, efficiency, productivity and financial growth of many client companies.
• Support: clients with board improvement advisory and plans: committees, agendas, minutes, and reporting
• Assist: clients in improving compliance with corporate laws, financial regulations, and governance standards.

CEO & Lead of ESG/CG, Strategy & Transformation - GovStrat Limited

(2005)

Served at UWI and NQCL, T&T, on sabbatical providing rare skills.

• Led many corporate restructurings and transformation outcomes for private, public and quasi-government entities across the Caribbean: improved structures, strategic planning, performance management, executed rightsizing, Board & executive performance evaluations, designed staff improvement & upskilling plans, conducted learning & development trainings.
• Pioneered corporate governance, strategic planning, ERM and other modern business processes via consulting and training across the Caribbean.

Chief Executive Officer (Contract) - National Quarries Company Limited (NQCL) - Trinidad and Tobago

(2022-11 - 2024-03)

Led: team of 7 direct reports and 2, indirectly: CFO, Operations, Legal, HSSEQ, Procurement, IT, Commercial, Internal Auditor and Corporate Secretary.

• Improved: focus on policy relevance, promulgation, adaption and continual reinforcement and revisions.
• Personally drafted: 5 Board Committee Charters, reviewed by the Board of Directors and Corporate Secretariat and approvals for all were achieved within two months.
• Designed, assigned leadership and suggested membership: for 5 strategy groups, each focused on a Strategic Pillar: with key objectives, identification, analysis, options, solutions, resource needs, time implementation, ownership, measuring results. Tools: SWOT, PESTEL, McKinsey 7S, MEL, etc.) Major outcomes: Delivered Sustainability Report, March 1, 2023:
• Short-Term Production Improvement at Limestone Quarry and same for Sand and Gravel (2 reports)
• Strategic and Human Capital Development & Restructuring Plan (2023-2026),
• Enterprise Risk Management Framework and Business Continuity Plan and various training and relevant learning and development Plans.
• Improved: Equipment Reliability and Availability was achieved at both quarries.
• Achieved: Development, Promulgation and Continuous Improvement of critical and non-critical HSSE policies, procedures, plans, processes and revisions/updates consistent with requirements of Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) and Environmental Management Authority (EMA), inter alia.
• Served: as team leader and contributing author of Budgetary Variance Analysis, determined required resources to achieve a realistic and sustainable level of production. A budget of approximately TT$200 Mill was committed by line Ministry.
• Established: bi-weekly Committee meetings to review and tract production output versus budgetary estimates.
• Introduced Buy vs. Lease Scenario Planning for cost savings and improved bottom line.
• Acted as Commercial Manager: For 9 months concomitantly with my full responsibility as CEO.
• Guided Development: Human Capital Plan including proposing several new positions and upgraded the nomenclatures of others. Improved: Recruitment and performance evaluation tools, filled new and vacant positions while focused on the next generation of Executive Management Members.

Senior Faculty Member, Environmental and Social Governance (ESG), Diploma Program, (Curated Learning). Module 7: Role of the Board of Directors in Environmental - The Corporate Governance Institute - Dublin, Ireland

(2022-06)

Head & Lead Expert, Corporate Governance and Strategic Planning Services - GovStrat Limited

(2018-08 - 2022-10)

• Led Teams and provided specialized technical competences: to significant client multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional assignments such as management audits, strategic planning, enterprise risk management training, policy reviews, development and/or implementation, budgeting, financial planning & strategic investment management.
• Supported Boards of Directors and board committees (e.g., audit, risk, compliance), including preparing agendas, minutes, and governance reports.
• Ensured compliance with corporate laws, financial regulations, and governance codes, including managing statutory filings and regulatory disclosures.
• Led consultancy services: reviewed Finance and Accounts Branch’s Organisation and Systems, conducted Employee and External Stakeholders’ Satisfaction Surveys, BPA, BPM and restructuring of the Department. Recommended improved organisational structure and increase in headcount of staff.
• Developed: Board and Advisory Board Charters, Business Conduct, CSR, Whistle-blower and Sexual Harassment Policies, Code of Ethics, Staff Administrative Policies and Manuals, etc. for many Caribbean clients.
• Executed: Leadership and Governance Transformation Project for Executive team of a Jamaica Tax Authority: produced Special Report to Improve collaborative relationships, delegation, and recommended technological innovations emanating from recommendations.
• Facilitated: Corporate Planning Retreat and provided analytical view of Draft Board Charter for a Caribbean-based CHASE Fund. Also facilitated same Strategic Planning.
• Wrote Proposal and trained: of Cabinet Ministers and Permanent Secretaries on the Oversight Role of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries and other senior civil servants on their working relationships.

Assistant Professor, Business Ethics - University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus - Trinidad and Tobago

(2014-01 - 2018-07)

• Head, Law and Ethics Disciplinary Group within Management Studies Department, Faculty of Social Sciences.
• Taught undergraduate and graduate students, research supervision duties, conducting personal research, published and participated at conferences, seminars and symposia, locally and internationally.
• Faculty Representative, The UWI, St. Augustine Campus Examination Committee.
• Chaired The UWI, St. Augustine, Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) Examination Committee.
• Member, Faculty of Social Sciences Strategic Planning Committee and ad hoc Board member of

Adjunct Lecturer - College of Agriculture, Jamaica, W.I.

(2003-01 - 2004-06)

• Taught Environmental Management Systems (ISO 9001) and Project Management to final year undergraduates.

Teaching Assistant - University of Manchester, Alliance Manchester Business School - England

(2002 - 2002)

• Taught Global Affairs, to undergraduate students.

Adjunct Lecturer - The UWI, Mona

(2000-01 - 2000-06)

• Taught Marketing Strategy & Planning to undergraduates.

Company Secretary & Board Director - Central Information & Technology Authority (formerly eGov Jamaica/CITO)

(2007-07 - 2011-08)

• Nominated and appointed for key expertise and attributes: corporate governance, strategic planning, public policy, integrity, meticulousness, sound judgement and communication skills.
• Instructed and collaborated with Board’s Executive Assistant in ensuring all meeting requirements were met.
• Performed pre-meeting, during and post-meeting preparations, actions and follow-ups.
• Managed the Chairman’s schedule for internal, external local and international appointments.
• Designed, planned and co-conducted Directors’ induction and orientation sessions.
• Planned and operationalized Directors’ and shareholders meetings and follow-ups.
• Filed confirmation statements and annual returns.
• Maintained statutory records, advised Companies Office of changes of Directors and other particulars.
• Ensured compliance with legal, financial and other statutory obligations.
• Maintained relevance and currency of various policies, charters, codes, guiding principles and practices.

President & Managing Consultant - GovStrat Limited

(2005-04 - 2013-12)

• Led and supervised day-to-day operation & strategy execution: staff and consultants’ supervision, corporate planning and budgets, marketing and communication, selective stakeholder relationship management, new business development and the internationalization.
• Introduced through training and consultancies: to the Caribbean public and private sector, formal training of Boards in Corporate Governance, Strategic Planning, Evidence-based Performance Management, Managing Corporate Reputation, inter alia (2004-2012).
• Led 7-member team: Developed Strategic Plan 2012-2016 on behalf of TECU Cooperative Credit Union Society Limited, Trinidad & Tobago. To properly inform the process, many workshops and team building sessions were held different stages of its development in addition to 7 independent studies utilizing various social science research throughout methods and techniques:
• Diagnostic Baseline Studies (SWOT) company-wide by means of personal interviews and the review of secondary data and information (published and unpublished);
• Corporate Governance Audit: desk review of a wide range of literature, observation of processes, and personal interviews and the administering of an interviewer’s structured questionnaire;
• Balanced Scorecard: Learning and application by all critical internal stakeholders;
• Capacity Building and Training Audit: assess current HRD capacity against future needs;
• Competitiveness and Credit Union Opportunity Study: comprehensive study of local and regional credit union sector via literature reviews and personal interviews;
• Employee Opinion & Satisfaction Survey: via Survey Monkey and closed-ended interviewers administered and supported by PESTER (L), McKinsey 7s, et al;
• Information Communication Technology (ICT) Review- systems trouble shooting, personal interviews and desk review of literature
• Sole Consultant: Clarifying the Governance Framework for Public Bodies in Jamaica (Cabinet Office of Jamaica, Jamaica (11/2009-09/2010), 145 pgs. IDB funded. This project was subsequently refined to what is now the Corporate Governance Framework for Public Bodies of Jamaica (Public Policy, Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Measures), 2012. Twenty-two (22) of my proposed 24 recommendations were adopted and have since been made mandatory requirements for implementation by all public bodies of Ja
• Headed 3-member Team: Executed project, Strengthening the Governance Framework for Public Bodies (Contract No. 2010/POO4, IDB Funded). (Public Policy, Good Governance and Anti-Corruption). Resulted in policies, tools and frameworks that have since been introduced into the public sector of Jamaica by all public bodies of Jamaica: Guidelines (Competency Profile) for the Selection, Nomination and Appointment of Directors of Boards & Enterprise Risk Management Policy & Framework and Public Sector Co
• Convened: Inaugural Managing Corporate Reputation, Image & Identity Workshops for the Caribbean during 2006 & 2007, Kingston, Jamaica and Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, respectively.
• Trained: Government Ministers, Chairpersons and Directors of Social Security Institutes of the Caribbean (15 countries), in Inaugural Workshop on Corporate Governance, June, 2006, Dominica.
• Facilitated: Inaugural Strategic Planning Workshop for senior civil servants of Jamaica, April, 2005, Kingston.

Senior Learning Facilitator/Consultant - Management Institute for National Development (MIND) - Kingston

(2003-06 - 2004-12)

Reported to the Senior Director of Learning and Development

• Conceptualized, developed, and facilitated new learning programmes in Effective Corporate Governance, Business and Professional Ethics; Accountability, Strategic Planning, Transformational Leadership
• Developed curricula for and trained over 700 Jamaican public sector employees in strategic planning, change management, executive leadership, corporate governance and management effectiveness.

Management Consultant & Full-time Doctoral Student - Independent

(2000-07 - 2003-05)

• Led an entity-wide assessment of Bureau of Standards, Jamaica, its monitoring sites, business processes, people readiness - competencies, qualifications and quality of upskilling. Applied Business Process Quality Management analysis (BPQMA) and BPR, PROSCI ADKAR Change Management Framework, among others.
• Findings led to the creation of 3 regional offices, widened scope and quality of service delivery across the island, rightsizing of organization, improved quality of staff and headcount of compliance unit’s customer satisfaction.

Senior Banking Officer (Corporate Finance and Business Development) - Capital & Credit Merchant Bank - Kingston, Jamaica

(1998-06 - 2000-04)

Dual Reporting Relationship to the Chairman of the Group and President of the Merchant Bank

• Participated in reviewing bank’s five-year corporate/strategic planning process.
• Wrote business, strategic, marketing and financial plans for new subsidiaries in Jamaica and performed budgetary review for remittance businesses in UK, USA, and Cayman Islands.
• Advised credit department on lending decisions and associated risks and technical concerns.
• Reviewed credit proposals, enticed high-valued clients the bank and booked US$45 mill in new credit.

Business Associate (Extended MBA Intern) - New Jersey Small Business Development Center - Newark, USA

(1996-07 - 1997-07)

Reported to the Head of Business Advisory and Project Development

• Provided advisory services to small-business entrepreneurs spanning a wide range of management, financial, marketing and strategic planning projects, reviewed and developed business and marketing plans and cashflow statements for clients from throughout the State of New Jersey, USA.

Senior Agricultural Manager/Liaison Officer, JPG UK Marketing Subsidiary - Jamaica Producers Group (JPG) - Kingston, Jamaica

(1994-10 - 1995-08)

• Managed shipping and marketing logistics arrangements between Jamaica and the United Kingdom operations.
• Engaged with key stakeholders such as supermarket chains: Asda, Sainsbury, Texco, Gateway and Sideways.
• Promulgate the implementation of EU Social Responsibility Reporting requirements at JPG farms in the Caribbean.

Project Manager/Agronomist (JPG) - Jamaica Producers Group (JPG) - Kingston, Jamaica

(1991-07 - 1994-09)

• Managed all aspects of the agricultural value-chain of Rural Agricultural Development Loan Program and involved 140 farmers (USAID/Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation (JADF) funded).
• Supervised field staff, liaison with many key stakeholders, managed inventory of supplies and cash disbursement
• Achieved in excess of 60% loan repayment in the first three years when average payback period was 6-8 years.

Field Officer/Farm Management and Farming Systems Economist - Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) - Kingston

(1988-09 - 1989-08)

Reported to the Chief Technical Officer, based in Rome at FAO Headquarters

• Conducted Farming Systems Research by use of a Researcher Administered Survey Questionnaire among approximately 150 rural farmers in the Upper Rio Minho Watershed of Jamaica and co-prepared reports.

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) - Corporate Governance and Public Policy - University of Manchester, Alliance Manchester Business School (2010)

Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Intl.

Strategic

Management, Finance and Marketing - Rutgers, The State University of Jersey, Rutgers Business School (1997)

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc., Hons.) - Agriculture (Agri-Economics & Agronomy) - The UWI, St.

Augustine

Campus (1991)

Associate of Science Degree - Agriculture - College of Agriculture, Science & Education (CASE)