Power company puts greater focus on regional service

President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), Kelly Tomblin, has announced the appointments of 15 new parish managers as part of efforts to transform the light and power company into a more customer-centred organisation.

The JPS said the move also formed part of a comprehensive organisational restructuring which is currently in progress within the company.

According to Tomblin, "we are changing the way we serve our customers".

"We are decentralising our operations so that decisions about serving our customers in the parishes no longer need to be made at the head office," she said. "Our aim is to create a more personal connection with our customers, so we are strengthening our service delivery capabilities at the local level."

New directors appointed

In this regard, JPS said it has appointed three new directors who will have oversight for its regional operations.

The directors include Omar Sweeney, who was most recently at the Planning Institute of Jamaica; Keith Garvey, previously general director of the Rural Electrification Programme; and Blaine Jarrett, who is a previous director of transmission service at the JPS.

The company said Sweeney would be responsible for the JPS's east region while Garvey and Jarrett would head the company's south and western regions' operations, respectively.

The company added that the recruitment of business executives and professionals from outside the organisation was the first phase of its organisational transformation.

"We are excited about the new direction that JPS is taking, and the value and new perspectives that these new executives will bring. Our customers will definitely be seeing and feeling the new JPS before long," Tomblin said.